They say: Mika Ninagawa’s follow-up to Sakuran is a big, splashy thrill-ride, tearing into the supermodel/teen idol industries which dominate J-pop culture.
We say: Helter Skelter left us a bit cold. On paper, it should have been the opposite, ticking lots of boxes that can suck you in: trashy fashion, pop culture, sex, drugs, bitchiness and the quintessential Japanese quirk factor.
Flimsily hung round a police investigation into illegal plastic surgery techniques, Helter Skelter hammers a simple idea to death – Japan’s obsession with youth, beauty and the constant search for The Next Big Thing as it follows the fortunes of media darling Lilico (played by Japan’s Kate Moss-esque star Erika Sawajari) as her star starts to wane.
