Make The Last Wish (2009) Sion Sono rarity /Hikari Mitsushima
8722DVD
director Sion Sono
starring Hikari Mitsushima · Yutaka Shimizu · Naomi Oki
· Keisuke Horibe · Mitsuru Kuramoto
In
one of his rarest films, Sion Sono mixes a cauldron of genres - youth,
intrigue, music, horrific obsession - for this quirky satire of pop culture...
all loosely based on singer Avril Lavigne's underground manga series "Make
5 Wishes." At the center of the story, Koike Minami returns
to Japan from the USA to achieve her deceased twin sister's wish to win
a singing competition headlined by Avril Lavigne in Tokyo. However, Koike's
striking confidence is encouraged by a 'demon' that has taken control
of her.
This
film was shot in 2009, shortly after Sion Sono's LOVE EXPOSURE, which
also starred Hikari Mitsushima. Interestingly - ten years later - Mitsushima
would find International success as the vocalist for music producer Shnichi
Osawa's song "Labyrinth" [released under the band-name
Mondo Grosso]. Today, as of November 2024, that song has received over
40 million views on YouTube. Despite enjoying a busy acting schedule,
Hikari Mitsushima also sporadically tours with Mondo Grosso.
Here,
it is fascinating to see a young Hikari singing Avril Lavigne songs under
the exquisite direction of Sion Sono. Incidentally, for the genre fans
who have been out of the pop culture loop since 1999, Avril Lavigne is
a Canadian singer, considered the key performer in the new-wave pop/punk
music movement. She is also an accomplished musician [drums, piano and
guitar], an actress [both TV and movies] and a top-tier designer [owner
of her own clothes line called Abbey Dawn Fashions.] Her list of world-wide
hits over the past 22 years include Complicated, Girlfriend, Sk8er
Boim, My Happy Ending and When You're Gone.
Director
Sion Sono is a cult hero and a prolific filmmaker. He is uncompromising
in his art. He's made an impressive number of top quality motion pictures
and TV productions, 70+ since 2000. Sion Sono is probably best known for
SUICIDE
CIRCLE (notorious for the multiple suicide deaths of high school
girls on the subway tracks) and recent extraordinary projects like VIRGIN
PSYCHICS, TAG
and WHY
DON'T YOU PLAY IN HELL?
A
Japanese film with English subtitles plus some English Language; widescreen
(16:9), (108 minutes) in DVD encoded for ALL REGION NTSC, playable on
any American DVD machine;
Extras include Hikari
Mitsushima's
Labyrinth video and theatrical trailers.
