rooprect 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.

rosscinema 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.

jlarsoen 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.

serge904 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.