This film further reinforces my belief that Director Satoshi Kon is a master of depicting abstract ideas, especially love, time, and dreams. Kon never lets the limitations of reality interfere with his imagination and creativity. He is a consistent example of how anime can create a work of art that can't be shown through live-action films.
The Millennium Actress follows Genya with his camera man, Ida, as they interview Chiyoko and learn the life story of the actress, who has since retired and secluded herself in bamboo forests and hills. The film does an amazing job of telling Chiyoko's story through the various movies she made throughout her life and showing the idea of forever chasing your dreams.
The storytelling method by Satoshi Kon, where he puts Genya and Ida into the depiction of Chiyoko's past and movies, is fascinating and undoubtedly effective. Genya and Ida are like ghosts from the future looking into Chiyoko's life as she chases after the man she loves. It was refreshing to see the two interact physically and emotionally with the past world in order to "shoot" Chiyoko's story, as well as helping her "bring the movies to life."
The editing, as expected from Satoshi Kon, is phenomenal. The transitioning between Chiyoko's stories and her movies are beautifully done. The movies and characters all have recurring themes as the stories shift genre backgrounds and time periods. The constantly changing settings and stories seem to reflect Chiyoko's feelings at a particular time in her life. The depictions of Japan's historical eras all the way to the Space Age are not only well designed, but they are never too long nor too short, and they keep the viewers constantly engaged as they piece together Chiyoko's life story.
As an aside, I personally think that I've never seen someone direct and edit scenes of running/chasing better than Satoshi Kon.
The soundtrack also helps to bring the animation to life and works in unison with the film to draw out emotions.
Overall, Millennium Actress is a touching story told in the most creative, beautiful, and elegant way. The film is sure to stay with you as you go through your own life chasing dreams.
The Millennium Actress follows Genya with his camera man, Ida, as they interview Chiyoko and learn the life story of the actress, who has since retired and secluded herself in bamboo forests and hills. The film does an amazing job of telling Chiyoko's story through the various movies she made throughout her life and showing the idea of forever chasing your dreams.
The storytelling method by Satoshi Kon, where he puts Genya and Ida into the depiction of Chiyoko's past and movies, is fascinating and undoubtedly effective. Genya and Ida are like ghosts from the future looking into Chiyoko's life as she chases after the man she loves. It was refreshing to see the two interact physically and emotionally with the past world in order to "shoot" Chiyoko's story, as well as helping her "bring the movies to life."
The editing, as expected from Satoshi Kon, is phenomenal. The transitioning between Chiyoko's stories and her movies are beautifully done. The movies and characters all have recurring themes as the stories shift genre backgrounds and time periods. The constantly changing settings and stories seem to reflect Chiyoko's feelings at a particular time in her life. The depictions of Japan's historical eras all the way to the Space Age are not only well designed, but they are never too long nor too short, and they keep the viewers constantly engaged as they piece together Chiyoko's life story.
As an aside, I personally think that I've never seen someone direct and edit scenes of running/chasing better than Satoshi Kon.
The soundtrack also helps to bring the animation to life and works in unison with the film to draw out emotions.
Overall, Millennium Actress is a touching story told in the most creative, beautiful, and elegant way. The film is sure to stay with you as you go through your own life chasing dreams.