The story (if you can call it that) is of a girl who works in a Tokyo hostess bar only to uncover a bizarre murder mystery. The screenplay is a rambling mishmash of ideas that -while not entirely successful- maintains our interest throughout and leaves us scratching our heads in bewilderment. From the opening scene, we are submerged into the film's environment without warning or introduction, and without expectation, for that matter. The plot is so non-linear and, quite frankly, non-important that we have no choice but to take the picture on its own terms. Even though nothing seems to fit from a conventional perspective, every bizarre moment of the script seems perfectly ordinary within the film's world. None of the characters seem remotely aware of just how strange their surroundings are, and this is how the film manages to succeed. The film-maker does not even TRY to offer an explanation for anything that takes place, he just presents it and expects us to draw our own conclusions. And even if you never reach a conclusion, as was the case with me, it is still an entertaining experience.
22 Reviews
Winkel's beauty stands out in this so-so mystery
rosscinema7 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
No one will ever confuse this as being another "Lost in Translation" but I'm personally intrigued by just about any film that takes place in Japan and if you throw in a young actress that could stop traffic with her looks than it would be practically impossible for me not to give it a recommendation. Story is about an 18 year old Belgian beauty named Angela (Chloe Winkel) who's an aspiring artist and bored with her life until she meets and falls in love with a Japanese DJ named Yamamoto (Jon Yang) who tells her that he can get her a job in Tokyo working as a hostess in a bar. In no time Angela packs her bags and without telling her parents she jumps on an airplane and heads to Japan.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Angela arrives in Tokyo and has a hard time convincing Papa-San (Bert Kwouk) to hire her but after a scuffle with another girl she gains the attention of the bar's clientèle. With her young looks she becomes the most popular hostess in the establishment but Angela also has a hard time with the other hostesses who think that she's taking away their tip money and they strike back by putting glue in her shampoo and broken glass in her soup. Angela also starts a mini investigation in the disappearance of a former hostess named Larissa (Peggy Jane De Schepper) who is presumed dead but when she starts to ask questions everyone keeps quiet and act as if they don't know anything.
This is the third film directed by Matthias X. Oberg and it's still hard to determine how talented a filmmaker he actually is although it's clear he's not what you would call a commercial director and he's shown a penchant to take on provocative stories. To Oberg's credit he gives his film a visual quality by having certain scenes shift from Angela's drawings to what's actually taking place and he also creates a sort of dreamlike mood that has a definite resonance especially with the quiet narration that is spoken. Okay, now that I've detailed the technical aspects that stand out in this film the real reason to watch this is to gawk at the screen debut of Chloe Winkel who possesses beauty that's just darn right rare! Winkel is a model who has taken acting classes and was spotted in a school play(!) when she was cast in this film and like Ewa Aulin from "Candy" she has the definitive nymphet quality that seemingly absorbs the screen she's inhabiting. This film has some sort of mystery in the story but as I continued to watch I kept thinking "who cares" because I just couldn't keep my eyes off of this beautiful creature and let's give Oberg credit again for casting this total unknown in the lead role. Nice job! I'm the first to admit that she really doesn't act here and I don't know if she can act at all but she definitely has a screen presence that can't be taught and I'll make it my mission in life to follow her career for as long as she continues to appear in films. This film is moderately interesting and maybe one day Oberg will become an important director but the real reason to view this film is because of the debut of the luscious Winkel.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Angela arrives in Tokyo and has a hard time convincing Papa-San (Bert Kwouk) to hire her but after a scuffle with another girl she gains the attention of the bar's clientèle. With her young looks she becomes the most popular hostess in the establishment but Angela also has a hard time with the other hostesses who think that she's taking away their tip money and they strike back by putting glue in her shampoo and broken glass in her soup. Angela also starts a mini investigation in the disappearance of a former hostess named Larissa (Peggy Jane De Schepper) who is presumed dead but when she starts to ask questions everyone keeps quiet and act as if they don't know anything.
This is the third film directed by Matthias X. Oberg and it's still hard to determine how talented a filmmaker he actually is although it's clear he's not what you would call a commercial director and he's shown a penchant to take on provocative stories. To Oberg's credit he gives his film a visual quality by having certain scenes shift from Angela's drawings to what's actually taking place and he also creates a sort of dreamlike mood that has a definite resonance especially with the quiet narration that is spoken. Okay, now that I've detailed the technical aspects that stand out in this film the real reason to watch this is to gawk at the screen debut of Chloe Winkel who possesses beauty that's just darn right rare! Winkel is a model who has taken acting classes and was spotted in a school play(!) when she was cast in this film and like Ewa Aulin from "Candy" she has the definitive nymphet quality that seemingly absorbs the screen she's inhabiting. This film has some sort of mystery in the story but as I continued to watch I kept thinking "who cares" because I just couldn't keep my eyes off of this beautiful creature and let's give Oberg credit again for casting this total unknown in the lead role. Nice job! I'm the first to admit that she really doesn't act here and I don't know if she can act at all but she definitely has a screen presence that can't be taught and I'll make it my mission in life to follow her career for as long as she continues to appear in films. This film is moderately interesting and maybe one day Oberg will become an important director but the real reason to view this film is because of the debut of the luscious Winkel.
Gorgeous
jlarsoen29 April 2004
For all those who love beautiful pictures, charming music and comics.
The shots are well-framed and every scene has been thought out. Definitely a visually stunning movie. The storytelling is sophisticated and stylized as well. It is slow in some parts, but intentionally so, and the fact that it was didn't bother me. You will remember this film because of its unique and very recognizable director's style, the high energy level due to variation in static close-ups and dynamic scenes shot by the moving camera, a love story that touches but stays away from clichés, a plot that plays with stereotypes of comics and leaves enough space for your imagination. It is a piece of art in fact rather than a simple criminal story, a pleasure for eyes and soul, calm, peaceful and touching... and what can I say more: I strongly recommend it.
The shots are well-framed and every scene has been thought out. Definitely a visually stunning movie. The storytelling is sophisticated and stylized as well. It is slow in some parts, but intentionally so, and the fact that it was didn't bother me. You will remember this film because of its unique and very recognizable director's style, the high energy level due to variation in static close-ups and dynamic scenes shot by the moving camera, a love story that touches but stays away from clichés, a plot that plays with stereotypes of comics and leaves enough space for your imagination. It is a piece of art in fact rather than a simple criminal story, a pleasure for eyes and soul, calm, peaceful and touching... and what can I say more: I strongly recommend it.
Strange, but I liked it!
eli_zaum430 April 2004
To me, the Stratosphere Girl is the perfect balance between suspense, love story and comic. And the the pictures! Every little scene has been carefully built to reach maximum optical effect. There are so many details to discover that seeing the movie once is not enough. I love this film! There, that is as simple as I can make it out. I am not going into any details about the plot or what takes place in the film, just want to say that this is the real deal. The film manages to carry a thin story with almost no plot whatsoever and be consistently interesting and entertaining throughout. On top of that it is all stunningly photographed. This picture is a must for every true movie fan.
comic diary come to life
samsan_lee18 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Stratosphere Girl attempts to be the film, Lost in Translation pretended to be.
It gave a dreamy interpretation of a foreigner lost in Tokyo's netherworld of "hostess" bars. A Belgian student-graduate notices disappearances of girls while working part time at a bar. This is a very real phenomena, because foreign girls are in demand in Tokyo, particularly. A few years ago a similar thing happened to an English girl in 2003. Usually some of the girls, if not most are illegally trafficked in. This film gives an impression of Japan not shown in Lost in Translation. As Angela begins to illustrate her experiences, each transition is materialized. She narrates her story weaving it within her drawings. The director uses lots of natural light and switches to hand-held camera work to give intimacy to the settings.
As she descends into the mystery of the disappearance of Larissa, she meets many archetypes of Japan's powerful underworld. she wishes she could merge with the comic world and often does. Stratosphere Girl is a dream-laden neo-noir film detailing the reality of foreign hostess bars. Its sort of an abstraction between Lost in Translation and American Splendor. her apt quote best describes "the Stratosphere Girl"'s adventure:
"When one is looking for something, everything has meaning."
It gave a dreamy interpretation of a foreigner lost in Tokyo's netherworld of "hostess" bars. A Belgian student-graduate notices disappearances of girls while working part time at a bar. This is a very real phenomena, because foreign girls are in demand in Tokyo, particularly. A few years ago a similar thing happened to an English girl in 2003. Usually some of the girls, if not most are illegally trafficked in. This film gives an impression of Japan not shown in Lost in Translation. As Angela begins to illustrate her experiences, each transition is materialized. She narrates her story weaving it within her drawings. The director uses lots of natural light and switches to hand-held camera work to give intimacy to the settings.
As she descends into the mystery of the disappearance of Larissa, she meets many archetypes of Japan's powerful underworld. she wishes she could merge with the comic world and often does. Stratosphere Girl is a dream-laden neo-noir film detailing the reality of foreign hostess bars. Its sort of an abstraction between Lost in Translation and American Splendor. her apt quote best describes "the Stratosphere Girl"'s adventure:
"When one is looking for something, everything has meaning."
A Visitor of Her Own World
claudio_carvalho21 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
In her high-school graduation party in Sweden, the Belgian Angela (Chloé Winkel) meets the Japanese DJ Yamamoto (Jon Yang) and tells him that she does not like to study, but draw, and she would like to travel to seek adventures. Yamamoto tells her that he has a friend, Monika (Tuva Novotny) that works as hostess in a nightclub for men in Tokyo and gives her address to Angela. The heroin Angela travels and meets Monika, and gets a job escorting executives in the club. When she finds that the Russian girl Larissa (Peggy Jane de Schepper) is missing, Angela decides to investigate the mystery and discovers a murder case.
"Stratosphere Girl" is a very original and intriguing story, presented in a stylish cinematography of film-noir showing Tokyo at night. The plot is totally unpredictable, never uses clichés and has an unexpected twist in the quite open end. While watching the movie, I found apparent flaws in the story that are very well resolved with the conclusion, when the viewer finally sees that the whole plot was fabricated by the imaginative Angela while drawing a "manga" at home. Like in a dream, Angela tells that she is "a visitor in her own world" and the story has a happy end and, disclosing the subtle line between reality and the fantasy of her cartoon. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Traços de 1 Crime" ("Traces of 1 Crime")
"Stratosphere Girl" is a very original and intriguing story, presented in a stylish cinematography of film-noir showing Tokyo at night. The plot is totally unpredictable, never uses clichés and has an unexpected twist in the quite open end. While watching the movie, I found apparent flaws in the story that are very well resolved with the conclusion, when the viewer finally sees that the whole plot was fabricated by the imaginative Angela while drawing a "manga" at home. Like in a dream, Angela tells that she is "a visitor in her own world" and the story has a happy end and, disclosing the subtle line between reality and the fantasy of her cartoon. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Traços de 1 Crime" ("Traces of 1 Crime")
Yet another Orientalism
urashimaru20022 October 2005
It's like a lost in Translation meets Solaris meets L' Amant meets The Grudge. Even though the director M. X. Oberg's rendering techniques such as transforming the comics into the live actions and vice versa, use of handy-cam, etc. are somewhat different from the rest, the story itself tells nothing more than a Jonathan Kaplan's 1983 TV flick Girls of the White Orchid in which Jennifer Jason Leigh plays an innocent L.A. girl who was tricked by a yakuza into servitude as a Tokyo nightclub hostess/prostitute instead of her dream of becoming a singer. However Oberg remarks that the story is based on his encountering in the airplane with a German girl who worked for Tokyo nightclub, or a presumed relation with a murder case of a British barmaid disappeared from Roppongi nightclub in 2003, as I stated earlier, the similarity with White Orchid, which also allegedly based on a true event, is sine dubio, and this kind of exoticism/orientalism has been reiterated in all over the places from Ridley Scott's big budget Black Rain to the Master Card TV Commercials, or from Shirley MacLaine's disguise as a geisha to Emmanuelle Riva's love affair in Hiroshima; just to name a few. We live in the twenty-first century and are still have a deep chasm between the East and the West. This is what it reminds me when it shows excessive slow motions and dizzy flash backs by which they dispel the use of handy-cam with synchronous audio recording intended to represent the realism not the orientalism.
What's the film about? Pros and cons.
vinogradovh3 November 2004
The main character is a 18-year-old blond girl Angela. Her passion is to draw comics. After graduating from high-school she's going to look for some adventures... So Angela spontaneously takes up the idea of a Japanese DJ Yamamoto she meets at her graduation party ... and flies off to TOKYO! Everything she sees, she expresses in her drawings.. but some bad things are going on at her new working place... Someone has been murdered... Angela draws and draws... soon it seems, that reality and comics are mixed up.. where's the line between?
Even though the artistic and technical side of mixing comics and "real-life" was interesting and even though it was shot in Tokyo..I have to tell, that I didn't like this movie. Max 3 points in 10 point scala. And those points are for the artistic side! And I'm sad, because I expected quite a lot from this film. So what was the problem for me? It was too slow, it was too naive and I'm sorry, but I wasn't so very thrilled about the actors. I have to tell you, that only one actor, Filip Peeters, (a "bad guy") left an impression for me.. I felt cold and even a little bit scared when I saw him on screen, so he LEFT an impression. The others didn't. By the way.. after I saw the film I remembered a film which I saw exactly one year ago.. last autumn -"Ruang rak noi nid mahasan"/"Last Life in the Universe" by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Thailand, Japan; 2003). They are not comparable.
People who like slow-on-going movies, a little bit romance plus "murder to be solved" and actually, a totally out-of-a-blue ending films, should go and see it.
Even though the artistic and technical side of mixing comics and "real-life" was interesting and even though it was shot in Tokyo..I have to tell, that I didn't like this movie. Max 3 points in 10 point scala. And those points are for the artistic side! And I'm sad, because I expected quite a lot from this film. So what was the problem for me? It was too slow, it was too naive and I'm sorry, but I wasn't so very thrilled about the actors. I have to tell you, that only one actor, Filip Peeters, (a "bad guy") left an impression for me.. I felt cold and even a little bit scared when I saw him on screen, so he LEFT an impression. The others didn't. By the way.. after I saw the film I remembered a film which I saw exactly one year ago.. last autumn -"Ruang rak noi nid mahasan"/"Last Life in the Universe" by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Thailand, Japan; 2003). They are not comparable.
People who like slow-on-going movies, a little bit romance plus "murder to be solved" and actually, a totally out-of-a-blue ending films, should go and see it.
I liked this movie quite a lot
serge90429 April 2004
even if it did stretch the bounds of believability more than just a little. I enjoyed the performances, found the pacing adequate, and the story interesting and different. Maybe it is a good idea, once in a while, to simply abandon audience expectations and simply tell a fantastic little story.
Magnificent, slow-moving and well-told, "Stratosphere Girl" offers no intense drama, preferring instead a slow accumulation of subtle moments - shifts in color or seconds of eye contact - to express emotion and detail in the story. Such small, easily missed moments are surrounded by an eye-popping visual style - elegance is raised to unearthly levels throughout. An excellent film which has much to reveal.
Magnificent, slow-moving and well-told, "Stratosphere Girl" offers no intense drama, preferring instead a slow accumulation of subtle moments - shifts in color or seconds of eye contact - to express emotion and detail in the story. Such small, easily missed moments are surrounded by an eye-popping visual style - elegance is raised to unearthly levels throughout. An excellent film which has much to reveal.
better than some would have you believe
sarahxbanana29 June 2005
I rented this film on a bit of a whim, without having ever heard of it before, or at least not enough for me to have any early impressions. All I knew about it was from the blurb on the back of the DVD case, and based on that I thought it was pretty decent. It was certainly not the best movie I've ever seen - the movie certainly aimed to raise the hair on the back of your neck, get your adrenaline pumping, but the ending was a little boring. The Angela storyline was resolved nicely, but the mystery of the movie, the main driving force I guess, but the film was shot nicely and well thought out. I don't think it was made to be "about" Tokyo, but rather a group of young women living and working in Tokyo. I agree with the other reviewer that it could have taken place anywhere, but I don't think that makes the whole movie terrible. At any rate, I enjoyed it.
disappointing
maddalena_maddo11 September 2004
this film is disappointing in several ways. 1. the end: the movie just kind of stops after having built up a quite exciting development; what i mean is, the solution is somewhat unsatisfying. this ending might be a good idea for a short film, but for a feature film it's simply frustrating.
2. this is supposed to be, as i took it from the promotion material, a film about tokyo. well this it is not. it might almost as well have been shot in Paris or new york. the image this film gives of tokyo mainly consists of a few clichés. you don't get a feeling of what tokyo REALLY is like, of what makes this particular city unique. hadn't i read that it's supposed to be a "tokyo-film", i wouldn't have guessed it. (it's not at all a problem for the film that it lacks this dimension; the film has it's own atmosphere, that is quite interesting and suspenseful enough; i was just disappointed because it was declared as a "tokyo-film" beforehand). thus, apart from the ending, this film is not bad; i just wish we had skipped the last three minutes and made up our own finale.
2. this is supposed to be, as i took it from the promotion material, a film about tokyo. well this it is not. it might almost as well have been shot in Paris or new york. the image this film gives of tokyo mainly consists of a few clichés. you don't get a feeling of what tokyo REALLY is like, of what makes this particular city unique. hadn't i read that it's supposed to be a "tokyo-film", i wouldn't have guessed it. (it's not at all a problem for the film that it lacks this dimension; the film has it's own atmosphere, that is quite interesting and suspenseful enough; i was just disappointed because it was declared as a "tokyo-film" beforehand). thus, apart from the ending, this film is not bad; i just wish we had skipped the last three minutes and made up our own finale.
cool
HighGomer8412 October 2004
I am not the biggest art movie fan in the world, but sometimes these films drift into areas that interest me and I check the out. I usually end up scratching my head in bewilderment. This also is a confusing but gorgeus film. I loved it from the opening scenes to its strange ending. The film progresses by a series of well thought out scenes, the visual contents of which are more important than either the action or the plot. It is the imagery that makes it so intriguing, I guess. Well, I suppose it's hard to explain without writing a whole essay, but I definitely suggest you to watch it, provided you have nothing against Tokyo, comics or blond girls. It should be seen on a large screen, it is breathtaking!
Terrible
cybeerian7 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This film promised something but doesn't deliver. The story is simple enough, and quite watchable for the first hour of the film (apart from all of the shots of Tokyo highways used as cutaways), and then nothing. The ending is so juvenile. Was this written by a 12 year old, or did the film makers just run out of money and/or ideas? The storyline has the heroine of the film trying to track down a missing friend in Tokyo. She is constantly running into people that seem to know more than they are saying. The film seems to be building toward a showdown between our heroine and the bad guys and then... She finds her friend isn't dead and she is offered a job drawing cartoons for one of the bad guys. PLEASE!!!
A pleasant blending of imagination and fantasy
HallmarkMovieBuff30 March 2007
When transitioning from the work week into the weekend or a short vacation, I like to watch a foreign film to transport my mind off into a different world. This movie about a European girl in Japan gave me a twofer, and filled the bill quite nicely. As a sci-fi, fantasy, and anime fan, I was intrigued by the title and subject, and was not disappointed.
Chloé Winkel, in what's apparently her first feature film, plays angelic-looking Angela, a just-graduated (from high school) cartoonist who scurries off to Japan on the recommendation of Yamamoto (Jon Yang), whom she meets at her graduation party, and who gives her the name and address of a friend with whom she can stay.
Once in Tokyo, Angela steps into a world of mystery, not just culturally, but also into one involving a missing bar girl. Entering the night club world herself provides Angela the opportunity to pursue the mystery; and her drawing what she "sees" blends imagination and reality into a mystery for the viewer.
This film exhibits an unusual sense of continuity. Fueled by flashes between our heroine's drawings and actual live scenes (the multi-tiered inner-city roadways in Tokyo were particularly interesting to this never-been-there American), the tale is told not as a straightforward continuous sequence wherein one scene leads inevitably to the next, but rather as a series of apparently disconnected scenes which have the effect of making the action appear to occur over a longer period of time than it actually does, i.e., what seems like weeks in actuality are mere days.
So what's real, what's imagination, what's flash-back or flash-forward? Suffice it to say that the ending, however "simplistic", breaks the wall between reality and fantasy, and resolves all mysteries for the viewer.
Chloé Winkel, in what's apparently her first feature film, plays angelic-looking Angela, a just-graduated (from high school) cartoonist who scurries off to Japan on the recommendation of Yamamoto (Jon Yang), whom she meets at her graduation party, and who gives her the name and address of a friend with whom she can stay.
Once in Tokyo, Angela steps into a world of mystery, not just culturally, but also into one involving a missing bar girl. Entering the night club world herself provides Angela the opportunity to pursue the mystery; and her drawing what she "sees" blends imagination and reality into a mystery for the viewer.
This film exhibits an unusual sense of continuity. Fueled by flashes between our heroine's drawings and actual live scenes (the multi-tiered inner-city roadways in Tokyo were particularly interesting to this never-been-there American), the tale is told not as a straightforward continuous sequence wherein one scene leads inevitably to the next, but rather as a series of apparently disconnected scenes which have the effect of making the action appear to occur over a longer period of time than it actually does, i.e., what seems like weeks in actuality are mere days.
So what's real, what's imagination, what's flash-back or flash-forward? Suffice it to say that the ending, however "simplistic", breaks the wall between reality and fantasy, and resolves all mysteries for the viewer.
A very languid chick-flick
Rabh172 September 2007
I'm giving this movie a half n half of five in order to say, that as a guy-- this movie may play differently to a fem. I gave this one a try in my usual weekly attempts to see NON-Hollywood flicks. As a rule, I stay away from chick-flicks because there isn't enough action or thriller plot to hold my attention (Doesn't mean they're bad! I guess I'm admitting to a limitation)
Like others have said before-- visually nice and evocative of what Tokyo at night must be like. The transitions between her drawings and the story are very well done. And the storyline about the lives of foreign girls in the Host Bars has an initial draw of the outre. As a Guy, I found the story's rendition of what the Japanese male clientele are like to be creepy.
But past the initial impression, for a Guy with not too sophisticated tastes, the movie becomes super languid. There is a plot-- but it's all smothered by a female tempo. Dialogue is all soft-soft talk, murmurs, glances, sidelong looks, smouldering looks, turned shoulders, tentative gazes. . .by the time someone SLAPPED someone-- I was like ALRIGHT!!!
Then it slide back down to murmury girl-talk.
If you're a guy-- get this movie if you need to score brownie points with your significant other.
Like others have said before-- visually nice and evocative of what Tokyo at night must be like. The transitions between her drawings and the story are very well done. And the storyline about the lives of foreign girls in the Host Bars has an initial draw of the outre. As a Guy, I found the story's rendition of what the Japanese male clientele are like to be creepy.
But past the initial impression, for a Guy with not too sophisticated tastes, the movie becomes super languid. There is a plot-- but it's all smothered by a female tempo. Dialogue is all soft-soft talk, murmurs, glances, sidelong looks, smouldering looks, turned shoulders, tentative gazes. . .by the time someone SLAPPED someone-- I was like ALRIGHT!!!
Then it slide back down to murmury girl-talk.
If you're a guy-- get this movie if you need to score brownie points with your significant other.
Foreign Cartoonist in Japan
surjorimba_suroto28 November 2005
Well, it's actually not a movie about a foreign cartoonist in Japan.
I watched this movie during JIFFEST 2004 (Jakarta Int'l Film Festival). A foreign girl left her country for Japan, hoping to find a new life. Back in her city, she had a Japanese boyfriend. He often told stories about Japan, and it made her interested. This girl loved to draw anything, especially things that happened around her, into panels. So it's very close to a comic.
In Japan, I forgot what city, she shared an apartment with other foreign girls. Most (if not all) work in a nightclub. She also worked in the same club, for a living. While she's there, she drew many scenes based on what happened around her. And then something terrible happened...and she made her own investigation...and drew her findings/ imagination/ etc into papers.
What I love about Stratosphere Girl is the ability to portrait a very nice-looking innocent girl, with a very imaginative mind, into a world of deception, crime, illegal foreign workers life in Japan. She followed her instincts to follow the mystery, although it would endanger her life.
The cinematography was very good, and I really like the way it shot night-life in Japan. Her drawings (I don't know if it's actually her drawing, or the director have it for her) were very beautiful, only using colored pencils (if I'm not mistaken). I wished those drawings were available commercially as a comic book.
This movie could fall into a thriller category, not just drama. I wished the director could made this movie more thrilling. But this is not a Hollywood movie=), but the director thrilled us in a different way.
I watched this movie during JIFFEST 2004 (Jakarta Int'l Film Festival). A foreign girl left her country for Japan, hoping to find a new life. Back in her city, she had a Japanese boyfriend. He often told stories about Japan, and it made her interested. This girl loved to draw anything, especially things that happened around her, into panels. So it's very close to a comic.
In Japan, I forgot what city, she shared an apartment with other foreign girls. Most (if not all) work in a nightclub. She also worked in the same club, for a living. While she's there, she drew many scenes based on what happened around her. And then something terrible happened...and she made her own investigation...and drew her findings/ imagination/ etc into papers.
What I love about Stratosphere Girl is the ability to portrait a very nice-looking innocent girl, with a very imaginative mind, into a world of deception, crime, illegal foreign workers life in Japan. She followed her instincts to follow the mystery, although it would endanger her life.
The cinematography was very good, and I really like the way it shot night-life in Japan. Her drawings (I don't know if it's actually her drawing, or the director have it for her) were very beautiful, only using colored pencils (if I'm not mistaken). I wished those drawings were available commercially as a comic book.
This movie could fall into a thriller category, not just drama. I wished the director could made this movie more thrilling. But this is not a Hollywood movie=), but the director thrilled us in a different way.
Not worth the waste of the waste of time
pisinlove12 August 2005
Man. Did this film stink! One of the worst films I have ever seen. And I don't mean that in a good way. Everything about this film is bad. OK, there are a few decent shots of Tokyo freeways after dark. So what. They're wasted anyway. The acting is, like, are you kidding me? And the writing is so bad it's almost as if somebody collected all the mindless notes scribbled then discarded at Starbucks and turned them into something resembling a screenplay. It's too bad; the setting is rife with possibilities. But guess what? There's no story here worth printing on soiled toilet paper. Trust me, you're better off jumping off a building into a swimming pool filled with sour cream. Read a book or something.
this is an exceptional film
AndyW_220327 September 2004
A little strange at times, but since when has that been a bad thing? This nice and intelligent film is structured on many layers, full of intrigue and double meanings. The plot leaves some things unanswered, which is quite irritating, but not to consider as an actual flaw.
Some characters remind me of some of Lynch's disturbing, mysterious figures. And this German (?) director tries to give the film an extra layer via images, which he mostly succeeds.
I recommend it. It is exquisitely performed and filmed.
Some characters remind me of some of Lynch's disturbing, mysterious figures. And this German (?) director tries to give the film an extra layer via images, which he mostly succeeds.
I recommend it. It is exquisitely performed and filmed.
Reinventing the Hitchcockian thriller
rooprect12 March 2011
To fully get this movie, it helps to know how it was conceived. Director/writer M.X.O was sitting on a plane when a gorgeous blonde took the seat next to him. She had a black eye. Eventually she told him her story which loosely served as the plot of Stratosphere Girl. At the same time he had been working on a different idea about an artist who tells & experiences a story through drawing.
The point is that this film is two distinctly different ideas melded into one excellent & artistic film. On the surface it's a straightforward story (the tale of the blonde with a black eye), but within that story--as well as surrounding that story--is the story of an artist simultaneously creating & experiencing a fantasy. The mixture of these two approaches was brilliantly executed with stylish, slightly disorienting visuals which convey the feeling of detachment and exclusion that the heroine feels. The mood is cold & sterile, vividly recreating a feeling you may recognize if you've ever been alone in a foreign country. So much of this film rests on feelings like that, moods & experiences that may resonate within you. It creates a very memorable atmosphere like in a Wim Wenders film or maybe even the movie "The Usual Suspects" (note: I'm talking about mood, not plot!).
The story takes a very slick twist toward the end which gives us a lot to munch on. It's not an overt M.Night Shyamalan gimmick but rather a clever & subtle detour that'll keep you thinking for hours afterward. I was very pleasantly surprised by this obscure gem, and I'll be keeping an eye out for this director's works in the future.
The point is that this film is two distinctly different ideas melded into one excellent & artistic film. On the surface it's a straightforward story (the tale of the blonde with a black eye), but within that story--as well as surrounding that story--is the story of an artist simultaneously creating & experiencing a fantasy. The mixture of these two approaches was brilliantly executed with stylish, slightly disorienting visuals which convey the feeling of detachment and exclusion that the heroine feels. The mood is cold & sterile, vividly recreating a feeling you may recognize if you've ever been alone in a foreign country. So much of this film rests on feelings like that, moods & experiences that may resonate within you. It creates a very memorable atmosphere like in a Wim Wenders film or maybe even the movie "The Usual Suspects" (note: I'm talking about mood, not plot!).
The story takes a very slick twist toward the end which gives us a lot to munch on. It's not an overt M.Night Shyamalan gimmick but rather a clever & subtle detour that'll keep you thinking for hours afterward. I was very pleasantly surprised by this obscure gem, and I'll be keeping an eye out for this director's works in the future.
A hypnotic & utterly unique film
Falconeer1 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I purchased "Stratosphere Girl" after seeing the trailer, and thinking how strangely beautiful the main actress was. Model/actress Chloe Winkel has an extraordinary look, and it transfers well to the movie screen. She leaves quite an impression in a film that is equally appealing to the eye, on many levels. The bizarre story centers on a young Danish girl with a wonderful talent for drawing comic book style "manga" pictures of everything she sees, and everyone who she encounters while living her bizarre life. Upon the recommendation from her dee-jay boyfriend, Angela flies to Tokyo, and winds up working in a shady "hostess bar" , where attractive white girls mingle with wealthy Japanese men. Once there, Angela finds herself in the middle of a mystery; another girl, from Russia, was living in the flat she now shares with some very bitchy girls. She disappeared without a trace, and Angela becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to the girl. More than a mystery, this seems to be more of a character study, about jealousy and competition among girls. Her co-workers are quite envious of the young, gorgeous Angela, and rightfully so, as they can't hold a candle to this girls translucent, hypnotic beauty. Don't expect to be too entertained with the mystery angle, as somehow the director has made something that should by all rights be fascinating, into something very slow, and just a bit boring. However I am recommending this film, for it does have much to offer. There is some truly inspired camera work; the film is very stylish. There are those wonderful shots of Tokyo, a city that is always fascinating and mysterious; it all possesses this dreamlike quality. If nothing else, see it for the gorgeous Chloe Winkel; I can't say enough about this girl. Her acting abilities aren't particularly strong, but when she is on screen, (at least in my opinion), it didn't really matter what was happening. Director M.X. Oberg pieces together the film with comic strip images, suggesting that the whole movie is basically a comic book come to life. This makes sense, as what is happening on screen is just too weird for real life. Others have complained about the ending, saying it is a letdown. Personally i thought it was very nice, and quite unique: Angela's suspicions about a grisly murder, and a city filled with corrupt, evil people, turn out to be a mere product of her vivid, artists imagination. The ending is sweet, when she finds out that she was wrong, and the men that she suspected of such evil things offer her a job, as a comic book artist, which is what she dreamed of doing. The ending wraps up so perfectly and sweetly, exactly like the comic books that the film actually is. I am happy to have seen this film, and it is good enough for repeat viewings. Apparently there is a longer version, available in Holland I believe, that is 10 minutes longer. I can't help but wonder what is missing from my German DVD, that runs 81 minutes... Anyway, I recommend "Stratosphere Girl" to those who can appreciate beauty over substance.
Very talented actor.
fix4021 December 2009
Jon Yang is a truly beautiful artist. I want to see him in more. OK, in this film they don't use his real voice, he's actually British born I have found out so has a lovely deep English accent. But his acting is enough for you to want to see the whole movie. He is such a sensitive actor and I can't lie he's gorgeous to. Looking forward to seeing, "Act Of Grace', his newest film where apparently he plays the leader of a Trihad gang. Quite different to his romantic lead role in this film.
Matthias X. Oberg is a superb Director also, he mustn't go unmentioned. It's a shame he hasn't had a project out in awhile. If you like independent movies and you like watching talented actors check out Jon Yang and this film.
Matthias X. Oberg is a superb Director also, he mustn't go unmentioned. It's a shame he hasn't had a project out in awhile. If you like independent movies and you like watching talented actors check out Jon Yang and this film.
The young Eurogirl's fantasy & a great movie
harvej6 May 2005
This is a story about a Belgium high school girl's start in her career as a comic strip author just as she graduates, and what she did, or was trying to do, to land her first contract to produce a strip out of her workshop in her mother's house. Most of the movie is about her nascent storyline, with her as the hero who must triumph, as she draws and works out the Manja-style comic strip. Now, most of her story involves seedy adult Eurotrash working in the Tokyo sex trade and the the Japanese men who exploit them in porno rituals to entertain corporate salary-men. The presence of the young Belgium high school girl provides a startling, even unsettling note since she looks not a day older than 15 years. The first clue that the story is imaginary is seeing that child anywhere near the Tokyo Ginga district. In one odd scene she objects to dressing up as a 9 year old, and all the while on her the costume appears not out of place. There is some soft-core porn. This is a great film, and a great way to see a modern EU coming of age story. The entire perspective of the film is grounded in Geneva, in spite of the Tokyo locale.
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