The Case of Hana and Alice

Shunji Iwai was an official guest at the Films from the South festival in 2005 and brought with him a fresh teen drama about the two schoolgirls Hana and Alice, their love, life and friendship. Two rock solid performances by Anne Suzuki (Hana) and Yu Aoi (Alice) made what initially was a rather small story into a central work among new Japanese coming-of-age films.

When Iwai again picks up the story about Hana and Alice, he chooses to debut in anime, and lets Suzuki and Aoi repeat their roles as the voices of the two neighboring girls. In this animated prequel, we are witnessing the surprisingly dramatic circumstances in which Hana and Alice met. Secrets and rumors, a missing person, a possible murder and occult rituals are among the ingredients in a film that should excite and surprise its audience.

The film’s animation reveals fresh approaches to perspective and dynamics, and has a distinctive cinematic feel. Iwai’s many years of experience as a feature film director enables him to bring considerable originality to the genre of anime. The Case of Hana and Alice has more in common with the lesser known Studio Ghibli film Ocean Waves (1993) than the anime genre's more frenetic mainstream films. It is a fairly muted, realistic and completely enchanting glimpse into two exceptionally fascinating people's lives.

Iwai has previously shown that he master several genres, and his catalogue ranges from sci/fi and horror, to documentary, coming-of-age – and now anime. We can only hope that he will continue to explore animation.

Shunji Iwai (b. 1963) had his big breakthrough with the post-apocalyptic Swallowtail Butterfly (1996). With All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001), he established himself as one of his generation's most important Japanese film directors, before dipping his toe into the Hollywood waters with the Ricci/Bloom segment in New York, I Love You (2008) and the arty horror Vampire (2011).