Millennium Actress gives us a wonder explanation to ties directly into the major theme mentioned both at the beginning of this article and in Magnetic Rose. However, that doesn’t mean you just have to accept the shifting realities. Think of Millennium Actress as a grounded art film, The Holy Mountain this is not, it’s much closer to Synecdoche, N.Y in that regard.
It doesn’t make sense.”īut you can’t watch the movie with that mindset and fully enjoy it, unlike a majority of Kon’s other films (namely Magnetic Rose, Perfect Blue, and Paprika ), this is not a film you can piece together, it’s not designed like that. One of my friends didn’t like Millennium Actress because “She did all those movies but they all had the same plot. You cannot watch this movie and expect everything to make sense. As anyone who’s watched more than thirty minutes knows, Millennium Actress is not a literal movie. The first is Chiyoko’s Memories, this is the most important because it’s the lens through which the nearly the entire movie is viewed. But I’ve limited myself to three major themes, and I’d like to go over them. There are tons I could cover, like the themes of cinema, fanboys, the hag’s place in the story, the rivalry between Chiyoko and Ako, running, and earthquakes, just to name a few. There is a lot to cover, I wasn’t kidding when I said I was planning on writing such a long article, it would be easy, this movie is flooded with… with… genius. The meta-story, which contains all themes, motifs, and symbolic meanings, is the true heart of the story. The point is that the surface plot isn’t important in Millennium Actress, it’s what lies underneath. Yes, Millennium Actress ’s bare plot is a little more involved that what was described above, but that isn’t the point. Warning: The rest of this article contains SPOILERS Millennium Actress ’s story far exceeds the boundaries of just a plot, Millennium Actress ’s true genius lies in the meta-story. The synopsis of Millennium Actress is as follows: “Two men interview an elderly woman about her extensive film career.” ( Source ) This might not seem like much, because it isn’t.
But be warned, I might plan an entire series dedicated just to this movie.
But that was a little too ambitious, so instead we’ll cover the meta-story and three major themes within the movie. I wanted to cover everything this movie has to offer. There is so much to cover for this movie that I was originally planning to write a 8,000 word article, minimum. And yet, when watching it for this review I still discovered new things. Having seen the movie 20+ times, I’d like to think that I’m pretty knowledgeable about this subject. The movie is drenched is subliminal meaning, thematic depth, and emotion. Millennium Actress is literally the best movie I have ever seen, well… in my opinion. Review of Millennium Actress by Satoshi Kon Kon was also known for making a darn good movie, Millennium Actress, is the perfect example.
He loved using skewed perspectives and messing with the continuity, Kon loved making his audience just as confused as his characters. Satoshi Kon was known for many things, subjective reality, mentally broken characters, and fluid visuals. The result is an astoundingly refreshing and unforgettable experience, but one that, to me, felt somewhat emotionally distant.“The you in you isn’t the you you think is in you.” – Satoshi Kon An examination of the personal challenges and self-realization that one undergoes through the different stages of life, Kon, as usual, is not shy of being epic in scale, passing seamlessly through fictional eras and time periods, superimposing characters, persons and life teachings throughout. Their session blooms into a captivating narrative, blending elements of her life with roles in some of her films, and exploring her great search for love. The film is of an enthusiastic documentarian interviewing a now very old celebrity actress, delving into her past motivations and experiences. Countless films tell stories through flashback, but in Millennium Actress the visionary director affirms storytelling as the principle importance of filmmaking with its very structure. Satoshi Kon once again fully utilizes the medium of animation to push storytelling in film to new levels of effectiveness.