Review of Millennium Actress (2002) by Richard T — 10 Mar 2009

So ends a chapter in my film watching life, at least until Satoshi releases another film. I went into this film with my expectations through the roof, this was the last film by Kon I needed to watch and everything that I have watched has been incredible.

Surprisingly, it basically matched my expectations, and while I was prepared to be blown away, I was completely taken aback by how Kon crafted Millennium Actress. First I'll start with the pacing and narrative style, two things that Kon had practically perfected in his debut feature, Perfect Blue, and that are only more finely tuned in this film.

In the first ten minutes or so the audience knows every vital piece of information to make the film compelling from that point on. On the surface there is little impressive about the general plot of the film, but Kon raises it to a completely different level by employing a truly engaging narrative structure.

The interviewers take a trip through a dreamlike reality as Chiyoko reveals her never ending chase for love and her progression from a child actress to a sensation. By blending the interviewers into the films, or memories, Kon adds a complexity to these figures who could easily be forgotten in the rest of the action as well as provide opportunities to break up the pace with some brilliantly timed comedy.

Kon toy's around with some psychological concepts, clearly not as many as in some of his other projects, but there's also a bit of social commentary mixed in here that both compliments the pseudo love triangle and stands on its own.

There are a number of intricacies, both in plot and dialogue, that add a welcome depth to the film and at the end, as usual, there is plenty for the audience to interpret and think on. The voice acting is great all around, but one of the film's greatest strengths, not surprisingly, is the animation Kon uses.

Not only are all the characters expertly crafted and detailed, but watching Chiyoko and those around her age is visually beautiful, no to mention all the flexing Kon is able to do with the sheer variety of the sets, costumes, and extraneous details.

The style changes on a dime, beautifully and masterfully, and visual the film is stunning. It's also fun how he blends movies with reality with surreal experiences as well. Also, I may just be developing more of an ear, though I doubt that, but this film used score much more extensively, and effectively, than any other Kon film, both in serious ways and when played up for what the film is doing at that time.

It's one Hell of an experience, I don't know if it's his best or my favorite, but it's damn great. Kon truly is a master. A/A+ or 4.942482385642356.