Millennium Actress is the late Satoshi Kons second directorial work and while not as dark as Perfect Blue was just as intricate and creatively written as it or any of his movies. For those of you unfamiliar with Kons work you should know now that its very cerebral and it can be very hard to follow if youre not paying attention. If you have a short attention span or just dont like to think... well first of all I pity you and second this movies not for you. Writing: As with any of Kons movies the writing and direction is where it really and truly shines. The story of the film is a retelling of an old actresss severaldecade acting career through an extended interview with a documentary filmmaker and his cameraman. Throughout the movie scenes jump between the quiet mountain home in which the interview is taking place Chiyokos flashbacks of her life off the set and flashbacks of the many various roles she played in movies throughout her career. These three stories intertwine in what can only be called organized chaos as events from each of these settings overlap and feed into one another slowly piecing the whole of the story together in much the same way Perfect Blue did though between the two Id say this one is easier to follow. The characters all have believable and wellestablished histories that meld with one anothers barring the lovably oafish cameraman whos just along for the ride and it all ties together neatly in a sad but beautiful conclusion that hopefully leaves the viewer wanting for nothing. Art: As with any of Kons works the art is a touch above the rest. It doesnt go overboard with digital effects but it is drawn in a very detailed and realistic style that makes it a bit easier for those more familiar with the live action film medium unlike myself to identify with. The animation is fluid the shading subtle and I cant speak of any complaints with the visuals as a whole. Sound: The Japanese dub is up to standard with reasonably respected liveaction Japanese films in terms of acting. The English dub is I will say passable. Not fantastic but not necessarily bad either. Truthfully theres not much wrong with the acting or voice work in the English versionthe biggest reason it loses points is for a couple pronunciation issues that anyone who knows anything about anything about Japanese is going for find very grating on the ears samyurreye. Its also worth noting that the dub is Region 2exclusive meaning it was never released stateside and if you want a copy for yourself youll have to import it from somewhere like Europe as I did. As far as music goes this was the first Kon film in which longtime collaborator Susumu Hirasawa composed the soundtrack. Hirasawa is also the composer for the original Berserk anime series Paranoia Agent Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika. First entry perhaps excluded you cant really go wrong with the guy. Again I say: Millennium Actress is a very cerebral and at least relative to most anime hardtofollow movie but a great one largely for these reasons. If youre willing to sit down and go for a ride it can take you on a very engaging trip so if you feel youre up to it or if youve seen and enjoyed any of Kons other works I highly recommend this fine piece of cinema.
90 /100
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