Perfect Blue (1997) 4K Restoration
Director: Satoshi Kon Run Time: 81 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 1998
Starring: Junko Iwao, Masaaki Ôkura, Rica Matsumoto, Shiho Niiyama, Shinpachi Tsuji
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
About the film:
Mima Kirigoe, a former pop idol, makes a bold transition into acting, taking on a role in a drama that includes a disturbing assault scene, and even releasing a provocative nude photo book. Her dramatic reinvention grabs public attention, but also provokes unease among her fans, her manager, and even herself as she struggles with the rapid shift from her days as a pop idol. As a stalker begins to shadow her, a screenwriter and a photographer are murdered one after another. “Did I kill them?” Mima begins to wonder if a split personality is gradually taking over, just like the character that she plays in the drama. Then “the other Mima” the pop idol who was supposed to have “graduated,” appears in front of her…
Perfect Blue marks the directorial debut of Satoshi Kon, who fascinated audiences around the world with Paprika, Millennium Actress, and Tokyo Godfathers. Hailed as the first animated film to feature an authentic psychological suspense story, this film was acclaimed at international film festivals and was released in theaters in Japan in 1998. Blending a play within a play, the story unfolds as fiction and reality, dreams and delusions, and cyberspace intertwine—like an optical illusion.
About the filmmaker:
Satoshi Kon was a leading figure in animation and one of the most influential contemporary Japanese artists. His stories fuse fantasy and reality to explore social themes and the human psyche. He is best known for his acclaimed anime films Perfect Blue (1997), Millennium Actress (2001), Tokyo Godfathers (2003), and Paprika (2006), as well as the anime series Paranoia Agent (2004). Prior to working as a director, he worked as a scriptwriter, layout artist and background designer, and made his directorial debut with episode 5 of the OVA JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (1993-1994). Kon was a graduate of the Graphic Design department of the Musashino Art University and a member of the Japanese Animation Creators Association.
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