Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

ewjun Extremely colourful with extreme suspension. I suppose it's more of a fast-paced destructive Jasmine Blue

CountZero313 Erika Sawajiri is outstanding as flavor-of-the-moment model/actress Lillico, a diva held together by plastic surgery, who exorcises her own demons in predatory sado-sexual displays of domination on her minder (Shinobu Terajima in perfect counter-point). Lillico is self-aware, stating that she can't really act, and she's not a great singer. All she has is her looks, bought at great price, though the exact cost will only slowly reveal itself.Japan's facile celebrity culture and the amoral voracity of its media are excoriated here. The social commentary scorches due to Sawajiri's unflinching efforts in making Lillico all too human. The casting is both professional and sly, as there is more than a little overlap between Lillico and the 'betsu ni' iteration of Sawajiri's own media persona.Director Mika Ninagawa is best known for still photography, and it is this background that lets the film down. Too often we are offered a montage, beautifully shot, of angst ridden Lillico, rolling in the rain, hallucinating about butterflies and falling feathers (too obviously borrowed from American Beauty), or gazing as the camera slides poetically past her at the human carnage she has unleashed. Lovely photography, but at the cost of slowing the narrative to a standstill.Lillico evokes Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, a country girl living a dream on borrowed time and shutting out the tawdriness that engulfs her. Instead of an older husband, it is a younger sibling who arrives from the past to burst the bubble.The plot involves ugly profiteering at a medical clinic and the arm of the law closing in, though the police procedural scenes function only to offer up expository commentary that jars. The prosecutors talk and are lit more like Greek gods pitying mortals than civil servants trying to put a shift in.Kaori Momoi as the shiftless boss does what she does best, that undefinable unsettling quirkiness perfectly suited to this role. Kiko Mizuhara also shows depth as the new idol who displaces Lillico from her perch, but turns out to be every bit as self-aware and jaded as her predecessor.The way the film turns the microscope on fetishized beauty and celebrity is its strength, and with brisker pacing and tighter editing this could have been outstanding. Those flaws are a pity, given the magnetic power of Sawajiri.

jmaruyama After almost a five year break from film making since her stunning film debut "Sakuran", film auteur Ninagawa Mika triumphantly returns in top form with the controversial live action film adaptation of "Helter Skelter". Based on Okazaki Kyoko's popular manga currently running in the serialized comic magazine "Feel Good", "Helter Skelter" is a visually gorgeous and impressive looking film lush with vibrant color and striking imagery but like its troubled character LiLiCo, its outer beauty hides a convoluted and sometimes overly dark and twisted fairy tale whose sanctimonious message against vanity and sexual objectification seems a bit heavy handed.The manga/film takes its name from the Beatles' iconic song "Helter Skelter". The term not only means "in disorderly haste or confusion" but also refers to the name of a spiraling amusement park slide that ascends and then sharply descends in a violent wave. While it is unfortunate that the name has become so closely associated with the Tate-LaBianca murders by the Charles Manson family, its original meaning seems aptly appropriate here. "Helter Skelter" tells the tragic story of LiLiCo (the magnetic Sawajiri Erika), the reigning "It Girl" in Japan whose flawless face prominently graces the cover of every fashion magazine and is the idol of thousands of impressionable young girls. Yet despite her incredible beauty, LiLiCo's inner vanity has made her a demanding and pompous diva whose arrogance seems to know no limits as she surrounds herself in grand and gaudy opulence while leading a decadent and selfish lifestyle.She frequently belittles and mistreats her meek manager Hada Michiko (Terajima Shinobu), a 30-something plain-jane who idolizes LiLiCo despite all the humiliation she endures at her hands. While LiLiCo is set to marry her rich vapid boyfriend Nanbu Takao (Kuboutsuka Yosuke) she still shamelessly seduces other rich individuals for favors and high profile modeling contracts). LiLiCo's hedonistic world comes crashing down as she discovers a small discolored blemish on her perfect face. She tells her Modeling/Talent Agent and den mother, Tada Hiroko (Momoi Kaori) about the problem and they go to visit controversial Plastic Surgeon Wachi Hisako (Harada Mieko) whose unconventional and radical surgical techniques originally transformed LiLiCo from the chubby, homely country bumpkin she was originally into the perfect model she is now. Unbeknownst to LiLiCo, Dr. Wachi is currently under investigation by crusading Prosecutor Asada Makoto (Omori Nao) who is looking into the deaths of dozens of Dr. Wachi's clients who have developed similar discolored blotches and out of shame have committed suicide.Dr. Wachi performs additional painful surgery on LiLiCo to correct the problem and also gives her experimental anti-rejection medicine to help speed up her recovery. These unfortunately do little to help and as LiLiCo faces competition from a young rising star, the pure spirited and natural beauty Yoshikawa Kozue (Eurasian model turned actress Mizuhara Kiko) the stresses of sustaining the illusion of being perfect slowly drive LiLiCo deeper and deeper into all-consuming madness.Comparisons to Darren Aronofsky's brilliant film 2010 "Black Swan" are unavoidable as both films share a very similar story featuring a young morally ambiguous heroine whose quest for absolute perfection and fame lead them on a path of self-destruction and madness. Kaneko Arisa ("Densha Otoko", "Okaeri Hayabusa") does a good job of adapting Okazaki's original manga and crafts a screenplay that is quite true in spirit to the source material, complete with all the dark overtones and unfortunately the flaws as well. The themes of society's obsession with artificial beauty and the psychological consequences of self-objectification are nobly confronted in the film but are delivered with such heavy-handed reproach that it seems almost preachy.Ninagawa's style of direction and visual flair are very much reminiscent if not inspired by Ridley Scott, Darren Aronofsky and especially Kathryn Bigelow. "Helter Skelter" marks not only Ninagawa's long awaited return to film but also a return to form for its star Sawajiri Erika ("1 Litre No Namida" TV Series, "Shinobi", "Closed Note") who took a brief hiatus in her career after some high profile public missteps and her growing reputation as a "bad girl" nearly ended her career. While many may see Sawajiri's performance as nothing but "art imitating life" it is nothing short of spectacular and memorable. Sawajiri should be commended for taking on such a shallow and troubled character like LiLiCo and approaches the role with much fearless abandon. As unlikeable a character as LiLiCo is, Sawajiri still manages to somehow make the audience feel sympathy for her. Sawajiri never looked better in this film and sports a body to die for.The stellar supporting cast is equally good with special mention going to Terajima Shinobu who portrays LiLiCo's exploited manager Hada. The normally attractive Terajima really dumbs down her look to portray plain Hada and brings a strong sense of vulnerability with her portrayal. Momoi Kaori ("Swallowtail Butterfly", "Ai Futatabi", "Kagemusha") excels in her role as Tada, a former model who tries to recapture fame by literally creating the perfect "living doll" model in LiLiCo. Momoi's subtle and balanced performance is in nice contrast to Sawajiri's wild portrayal.Alluring beauty Mizuhara Kiko ("Norwegian Wood") is absolutely enchanting as angelic Yoshikawa Kozue. The American/Korean mixed model does a good job in this her first major speaking role and helps to define Kozue as an ethereal, virtuous foil to LiLiCo's self-absorbed bitch. The finale seems a bit sensationalized and gratuitous but this seems more a fault of the source material than with the film itself. The surprise "twist ending" suggests a sequel to which I am all for. "Helter Skelter" is a beautiful film but not perfect. Yet its overall enjoyable cautionary tale about objectification seems so timely in a world where the "Cults of Personality" for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Rola, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and countless other fashion models have dramatically influenced pop culture with their illusions of perfection.

webmaster-3017 The latest film "Helter Skelter" from famed fashion photographer turned director Mika Ninagawa is an ambitious piece of work that goes beyond its telling issue of the evils that lies in the plastic surgery craze. The film is filled with sharp bright colours, plenty of imageries and an insightful look at the cost of fame, beauty, looks and sex. "Helter Skelter" is ultimately beautiful to look at and goes on a deeper level than many of its contemporaries but somehow it still manages to come up rather flawed and mistimed. After a 5 years hiatus from the big screen and a failed marriage Erika Sawajiri simply shines through in the leading role."Helter Skelter" lacks a cutting edge that is required to captivate the audience. The unevenness is evident throughout, as the film itself feels like an emotional roller coaster. Perhaps indirectly the filmmaker is trying to show how much turmoil, depression and slightly mental that Sawajiri has become. The constant use of bright and bloody red throughout the film shows just how much Sawajiri is playing with fire. When things are going well, the fame that comes with being beautiful brings popularity, acceptance and recognition. However, this strive for fame is like a dangerous drug, an inevitable addiction that makes her inner soul wanting more and more. The film raises a number of questions about the price of fame, the superficial nature of showbiz, the aftereffects of plastic beauty and the equation between beauty and happiness. These are all prominent issues as the good news is that Ninagawa does not shy away from any of these.The film first reaches an emotional crescendo with the purity of the contrasting cherry blossom scene where Erika meets her innocence looking sister. This moment in particular hits the audience hard and straight through the heart as to how far away she is actually from her sister, both physically and figuratively. However, the film often drags at crucial moments, where in turn hampers the audience's ability to connect with the film on a deeper level as the film seems to be toying around with their moods through some inconsistent filmmaking. The scene where Sawajiri is required to face the media upon being exposed remains one of the most striking moment within the film. It is rather ironic that Sawajiri will end up destroying one of her few pieces of bodies that are still real, perfectly transcends to the audience the feeling of freedom, hope and new life.Erika Sawajiri plays the leading role of a beauty queen who sinks deeper and deeper into depression, drugs, fame and plastic surgery. This is by far her most complicated character in her career. Sawajiri first caught my eye by displaying some fine acting chop as the older romantic interest in the coming of age tale "Sugar and Spice". Since then, Sawajiri has left the industry, got married and divorce all within 5 years and "Helter Skelter" acts as a shadow of her own career in the show business. There is a level of sadness within her eyes that perfectly portray the situation and at times it feels rather scary as the blurring of boundaries seems to be making her real and cinematic life contravened. Other supporting characters like Kaori Momoi as the motherly figure is constantly dressed in bright green, as her character is never truly defined and remains a sense of mystery to audience as to her true intentions towards Sawajiri.All in all, "Helter Skelter" is not a film about sex and nor should it be. Although it marks as Sawajiri's first nude role, the scenes are never distasteful, but rather it allows the audience to feel the vulnerabilities behind her character. "Helter Skelter" is an uneven and flawed film, but Ninagawa stylistic and daring direction keeps the film afloat. "Helter Skelter" is the kind of film that has a lot to say and combining with a career redefining performance from Sawajiri, the film is able to give the evils of plastic surgery, a much needed all-out blast. Still, this is a good enough film, even if it is clearly flawed in its own way. (Neo 2012) I rated it 7.5/10http//thehkneo.com/blog