by Tiago Carneiro
Back in the 90s, Shunji Iwai had already established himself as a master of romance, but “Swallowtail Butterfly” redefined his craft and solidified him as a versatile filmmaker, showcasing his impressive ability to transcend genres. This film seamlessly blends a myriad of genres into a cohesive, all-encompassing tale of cinematic chaos. It is a science-fiction film, but also a musical at times, and a western, an action-thriller, a noir crime story, an entrancing mystery, a hilarious comedy, and a heartfelt coming-of-age drama. This may sound like the messy work of a madman, and it is, but in the best way.
Genres are twisted into something unique and collide with each other to form a surreal narrative that fully immerses the viewer into its intricate world-building and array of likeable characters. Shunji Iwai goes insane behind the camera and inside the editing room, making the film feel like something straight out of a fever dream. His work on “Swallowtail Butterfly” is both ambitious and inventive, pushing the boundaries of cinematic storytelling.
“Swallowtail Butterfly” follows a group of characters on a classic ‘rags to riches’ journey through a dystopian mafia underworld. They are determined to do anything for money, from shooting out people’s tires only to fix them, to scavenging trash for treasure, to even resorting to prostitution. Their goal is to become rich so they can return to their homelands, but this rarely happens, even after they hit the jackpot by discovering an ‘infinite money glitch’. After this event, the film transitions to a more mature setting where the characters slowly have their lives ruined by their newfound wealth. All money did was divide this sweet dysfunctional family and rob them of the little moments where they felt genuinely happy while being poor. Iwai suggests that, sometimes, money does not equal happiness, and in some cases, it can even mean the opposite.
Iwai’s profound exploration of family and greed is matched only by his meticulous character work. He slowly and carefully develops each character over “Swallowtail Butterfly”’s exhilarating 2.5 hours. Some of them are still baby larvae, some are still in their cocoons, and some are already beautiful butterflies. And we witness their births, their comings-of-age, and their deaths, all in a story that isn’t even that long, but is still able to develop and focus on each character in equal amounts.
Watching “Swallowtail Butterfly” feels as if you were entering this dystopian world and these people’s strange lives as an observer, just following them around and watching them face all kinds of unexpected trouble, experience sadness, happiness, loss and every other human emotion. Iwai allows us to feel extremely close to them, always rooting for their success and survival. It’s also extremely fun to watch the characters explore this futuristic metropolis filled with people from all around the world, struggling with alienating cultures, language barriers and xenophobia.
Despite the multiple languages, performances are exceptionally strong, even more so considering some of the actors are required to speak up to three different languages. And it is Ayumi Ito that steals the show with an incredible portrayal of Ageha, at only 16 years old. Her character is also the most interesting and complex, grappling with the loss of a parent and a severe identity crisis, but always doing the right thing nonetheless. That’s another important aspect to note here—Ageha and her group, despite their crimes, are really nice people, and that’s Shunji Iwai portraying the humanity and compassion in everyone regardless of their social status, race or lifestyle.
Some standout moments of this otherworldly adventure include Glico singing a rock version of ‘My Way’, a hilarious scene involving the firing of a bazooka, a tattoo sequence where Ageha recalls the first time she saw a butterfly, and the beautiful conclusion, which highlights that family can overcome any obstacle.
Overall, “Swallowtail Butterfly” is an explosive fusion of genres that creates a unique and unpredictable cinematic experience. The story is deeply captivating, performances are admirable, cinematography is simple yet effective, sound design is immersive, and music choices are spot on. Every element of Shunji Iwai’s 1996 masterpiece is polished to perfection, while still maintaining a messy and chaotic style. It is a remarkable and innovative piece of Japanese cinema. A one-of-a-kind work that challenges the limits of conventional filmmaking and creates something genuinely special and new in the process.
