Millennium Actress

So begins my journey deeper into the anime industry as a friend of mine has let me borrowed four of his movies: Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Akira, and this one. Akira is the only movie that I've seen at least in some parts, but the others I've only heard of. This one, on the other hand, is something I've never seen nor heard, but know of the director's reputation, seeing that he is known best for his psychological drama, or anything to do that bends your mind. This one is definitely a mind bender and something to behold.

It stars two documentary filmmakers doing an interview with an actress that has fallen out of the public eye. She gives her life story and explains her reasons why she never went back to acting. That's only the simple premise. How the story is told is amazing, with the actress explaining her life in detail, but, it's actually happening in real life, with the two filmmakers as part of her life story. It can get complicated to explain, but for those who know what I'm talking about, you know the gist of it. It's quite clever for it's "story within a story"-esque plot and you get to see characters grow or learn more about them as you go along. It's a great story, hands down. Do be warned though; this is a story that needs to be payed very close attention, or your brain will start to hurt.

The music is anything, but memorable. It definitely fits the tone to plot and it can get quite creepy at points, but I do wish there was at least some form of a symphonic orchestra to play some of the more dramatic moments. It also hurts to say that the music often repeats at some points, not giving any chance to write something different and try to cleverly write the theme there.

The characters are pretty interesting and it does offer some plot points that some might not see coming. The two filmmakers are sort of the comic relief characters, but one of them, the person interviewing the actress, really does develop and you have sympathy of what's going on. The actress is definitely fleshed out and you understand why she's going through all this trouble. My one concern was her love interest. It seems odd that a girl would instantly fall in love with a person that she only just met and not knowing if he's really dangerous. The villains are pretty interesting, too, with one developing from a cynical person, to a much older, more compassionate person that wants forgiveness. The other seems to serve as a symbol, a kind which presents the actresses struggles to find her true love.

The animation is really good, too. Everything seems well-thought out with some great set pieces and it has some really good character design.

For people that loved Perfect Blue or Paprika would definitely need to check out this movie. It's a really good story with interesting characters and it's the kind of movie that makes you think. It reminds me a lot for my appreciation for older actresses that had such great talent back in the 30s and 40s and what a life they had. Don't hesitate on seeing this, but as for me, I need to grab some Advil. Have some prepared just in case.