Millennium Actress [Blu-ray/DVD] [2001]

Among the limited offerings from the late, great animator Satoshi Kon was this piece, showcasing his multilayered style of storytelling that boggles the mind and entertains deeply at the same time. Documentary filmmaker Genya, doing a piece on the recently shuttered Ginei Studios, meets with its most famous actress, Chiyoko Fujiwara, who has become a recluse following her departure from stardom. With the aid of a long-missing artifact from her life, she regales the filmmaker and his cameraman with her life story, and in doing so she literally makes the two men part of the action, in a manner as only Satoshi Kon could handle. This title is an essential for Kon fans and anime collectors in general, not merely because it was among the few works he was able to produce in his tragically short life, but also because it is beautiful. moving, and complex enough to keep your mind occupied for the duration, separating fiction from reality as Chiyoko relives her past. This feature hasn't been on home video for the better part of two decades (it was originally released in 2001), but now it's on Blu-ray, and better than ever. Pick it up if you can.

The movie’s heroine is herself a movie heroine in the story. As she is interviewed about her life story, the interviewers are documenting her life in stream of conscious vignettes in which her real life is intermingled with her life as an actress and her roles as an actress. The action goes from slow and thoughtful to breakneck speed with transitions from movie role to movie role and back to real life.

Awesome anime. not on the same mind bending level as the director’s other work like “perfect blue” and “papika” but very well done as the story of an aged actress life is retrospectively retold and relived by her and the interviewers.

Where do I start. This film is greatly voice acted, story is amazing, pacing is perfection and the animations are second to none. Quiet possibly the best film done by Satoshi Kon who made Paprika and Perfect Blue. A must own for any movie enthusiast!!

I recommend you see this film first. If you're a lover of anime/manga and have never seen this film, you will find it a breath of fresh air. It is a masterpiece and deserves every award it got.

Excellent blu ray! Was able to pick this one up while it was the last one in stock!

Great picture and steelbook. Incredible movie by the same director of Perfect Blue

This movie is so good. I totally love it and had to buy it when I saw it at the store