LOST IN THE ARTHOUSE is a monthly series hosted by Arkadin co-owner Keith Watson that takes you to hidden corners of filmdom far from Hollywood. From must-see classics to obscurities waiting to be discovered, these films stand at cinema’s bleeding edge.

“Shunji Iwai’s spacey, torpid dream-epic of youthful angst and escapism in modern Japan: it stays with you.” – The Guardian

When it appeared 25 years ago, most critics weren’t sure what to make of Shunji Iwai’s ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU. Its jagged, dreamy exploration of pop fandom, online identity, and adolescent angst was perhaps too up-to-the-minute for writers still being published in print newspapers. But for younger audiences who’ve grown up on the internet, LILY CHOU-CHOU speaks to them on an almost subliminal level. No wonder, it’s one of Letterboxd’s top 20 films by “heart rate” (the ratio of likes to watches). Iwai’s film follows the online and IRL lives of a group of teenagers who worship the eponymous pop idol, an ethereal Bjork-like chanteuse whose music provides the only real escape from the cruelties, large and small, they face in their daily lives. Through an online message board devoted to Lily Chou-Chou, they find connection while their non-digital reality drives them further and further apart. Scored to the music of Lily (actually, singer Salyu), Iwai’s lyrical film leads to a heart-rending crescendo.

This screening is part of Arkadin’s May 2026 series, THE COMPUTER IS MY FRENEMY, featuring films that explore our collective love-hate relationship with the digital world. Does the internet truly bring us together or only tear us further apart? Find out this month!

This screening is part of Arkadin’s May 2026 series, THE COMPUTER IS MY FRENEMY, featuring films that explore our collective love-hate relationship with the digital world. Does the internet truly bring us together or only tear us further apart? Find out this month!