Tokyo Pop
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Theatrical Screenings
Kinoteka 1
Kinoteka 3
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Film description
Wendy leaves New York for Tokyo, dreaming of launching a music career, but realizing her ambition of becoming "big in Japan" proves far from easy. She doesn't speak the language, cultural differences create a thick barrier around her, and the neon-lit streets of Tokyo continually throw obstacles in her path. Fortunately, it's the "bubble era"—a time of Tokyo’s deep infatuation with the West—when anything seems possible, even "Tokyo Pop."
If it weren’t for Fran Kuzui and her Tokyo Pop, Sofia Coppola might never have made "Lost in Translation." The two films are linked through the lens of an outsider, with a heroine lost in the vastness of Japanese modernity, navigating the maze of a sprawling metropolis. Set in the 1980s, "Tokyo Pop" captures a unique moment in urban history—where neon signs, steel, and concrete merge, transforming the city into a fluid, dreamlike space. This is the Tokyo Kuzui portrays—bathed in neon, brimming with spontaneity, energy, and contradictions. It’s easy to get lost in, but the journey to find yourself can be breathtaking.
text:
Łukasz Mańkowski
Fran Rubel Kuzui
1988 Tokyo Pop
1992 Buffy: Postrach wampirów / Buffy the Vampire Slayer
