Swallowtail Butterfly(Suwaroteiru)

Depicting a world where Japanese society’s fear of outsiders clashes violently with the inconvenient social and economic realities of a globalised modern world, Iwai Shunji’s vision of the near-future feels more like reality than fantasy three decades after its release. Set in a grimy community occupied by illegal migrants who survive poverty through petty crime and sheer ingenuity, Iwai’s modern epic follows a group of outcasts who come across a large amount of cash through a money counterfeiting scam. However, their attempt to flourish is dashed by a xenophobic system and a notorious Chinese gang who will go to war to recover their lost money. Energised by spirited cinematography by Shinoda Noboru and Iwai’s frantic editing, the visionary filmmaker’s magnum opus is a nightmarish but moving fairy tale about chosen family.