At the end of a maze of narrow roads and steep hills, the two filmmakers find themselves at Chiyoko’s residence. Shortly after this shaky introduction, the film’s narrative style of a play within a play shows both Genya and Kyoji filming the recounted events of Chiyoko life, similar to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. There’s a funny scene where Chiyoko is reliving a movie scene where she’s escaping a marauding band of samurai on horseback. It cuts to real time as both Chiyoko and Genya or riding the pony with an etched expression of confusion on Kyoji face.
Later, we discover that an incident involving a government rebel played an instrumental role in her decision to be an actress/tool for the fascist regime of World War II’s Japan. Chiyoko is given a key by this mysterious gentleman who is fleeing the government. The movie takes you through her various movie roles and how her motivation for each character was fueled by her heart’s desire to find her mysterious stranger.
Satoshi Kon’s character design is one of his signature trademarks, seen specifically the middle-aged, round, homely character of Genya Tachibana. The exceptionally beautiful female protagonist in the case of Chiyoko Fujiwara usually plays as a foil to this unique character. Another trademark of his films is the score from Susumu Hirasawa. If I had to describe the body of Susumu’s work, I would have to say it’s an overly synthesized version of the music played in an All You Can Eat Asian Buffet. (Of course, I just made a complete bastardization of the talented musician who has worked on Berserk in addition to Paprika, Paranoia Agent and of course Millennium Actress. In actuality, his music can be more adequately described as noisy Japanese Techno music.)
Millennium Actress excels in its portrayal of the narrative. The direction to place Tachibana and Kyoji at the scene of each flashback creates a link to both the present and to the memories of Chiyoko’s youth. Nobutaka Ike’s art direction much like the music and directing has also become a signature for all of Satoshi Kon’s movies. In this film, Nobutaka had to portray the subtle differences in each time period from the clothes to the architecture and transportation. While storytelling plays a crucial part in Millennium Actress’ success, the aesthetic of this film acts passively in the background, creating a canvas for Satoshi Kon’s story.
Bottom Line: B
Anime 3000 reviews anime, manga, and games based on specific criteria designated by each medium's respective editor. Anime is reviewed on a scale from F to A+. Series or movies that receive a score of A- or above are considered outstanding, B- to B+ recommendable, C- to C+ average, D- to D+ unrecommended, and F terrible.
Studio: Madhouse
Director: Satoshi Kon
Licensor: Go Fish Pictures
