Japanese musician Poison Girl Friend talks about her favourite Leos Carax film, an exploration of the destructive nature of young love
“I’ve loved Leos Carax’s films since I was a child. I was always more drawn to films that spoke to our generation than to mainstream Hollywood productions. The first Carax film I saw was Mauvais Sang, released in Japan before his debut film, Boy Meets Girl. Compared to the French films I had seen before, like those by Jean-Luc Godard, it spoke to me much more directly. It seemed to speak to the hearts of young people everywhere. Godard’s work strikes me as very French indeed, yet Mauvais Sang doesn’t feel tied to French contexts or idioms. It just overflows with adolescent impulses and the headlong rush of youth. The story doesn’t need to be set in France; it could be set in Tokyo, Berlin, Glasgow, or any other city.
“Carax was in his twenties when he made the Alex trilogy. All three films feature the same actor, Denis Lavant, who plays the character Alex throughout. As Alex is also Carax’s real name, the character functions as an alter ego for the director. Each character in Mauvais Sang has pure, devoted feelings for the person they love. They pay little heed to one another’s feelings. That’s how we all fell in love when we were young – hurtling headlong into it; I often wonder why we ran so desperately when we were young. Love can give life to people, but it can also destroy them. The message at the heart of Carax’s films seems to be: whether you have love or not, you are alone. And yet, we all need someone.”
Poison Girl Friend is the longstanding solo music project by Noriko Sekiguchi. Born in Yokohama, Japan and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she was educated at a French-language school, Sekiguchi became infatuated by London’s club scene in the early 90s, entranced by the sounds of British New Wave, indie rock, house and techno. Her nomadic upbringing acts as a roadmap to her unique sound; over wistful verses sung in Japanese, French and English, Poison Girl Friend blends ambient trip-hop, dream pop, and French yé-yé to intoxicating effect. Released in 1992, her first major-label EP, Melting Moment – a melancholic ode to romantic longing, set over club beats and cinematic, classical strings – never made it as a mainstream success. But in recent years, after her music labels put her older albums on streaming platforms in 2021, Poison Girl Friend has gone from underground darling to cult classic, amassing millions of new listeners and embarking on tours around the world. It comes as no surprise that Sekiguchi is inspired by Leos Carax, the French director behind cult films like The Lovers on the Bridge and Mauvais Sang; both artists are devoted to exploring the human condition in their work, navigating themes of love, loneliness and loss with unwavering emotional intensity and openness.
Translation by Yasuhiko Iida
