Perfect Blue
Details
It is rare to come across works that so sharply illustrate how fragile identity, fame, and reality are. This film, in which Satoshi Kon sits at the directing podium for the first time, invites the audience to witness not only a story, but the slow dissolution of a mind. The narrative, which begins with a young pop star's transition to acting, may at first glance seem like an ordinary career change story. However, Satoshi Kon uses this ordinary framework only as a starting point. The real issue lies in a much deeper and much darker place: What happens when a person refuses to embody the image expected of them? As the gap widens between the "ideal self" created by crowds and the real self, which voice becomes more authentic? Instead of answering these questions, Kon throws the audience right into the middle of them. Scenes in which the boundaries between reality and fiction are deliberately blurred begin to undermine the audience's confidence in their own perception. What we think we're watching and what we actually watch become disconnected from each other in the later minutes of the film. This disconnection is not a superficial plot device; on the contrary, it stands out as the fundamental choice that forms the thematic backbone of the film. It would be a grave mistake to think that this work, which has been rated with over eighty points, is merely an animation. The visual language that pushes the boundaries of adult animation is on par with examples that use cinematic tension elements in the most refined way. When universal themes such as stalking, obsession and the destructive face of fame are combined with the pop culture atmosphere of Japan of the period, a document of both local and universal anxiety emerges. This film, which many directors have cited as an inspiration in subsequent years, is the kind of work that lingers in the mind after watching it. The scenes end, the music stops; but the questions it leaves behind accompany us for a while longer. Who are you, who do you want to be, and who do others want to see you as? Sometimes the answers to these three questions do not overlap at all. And sometimes this state of non-coincidence becomes the very essence of the darkest tension.
JP
Madhouse
Rex Ente...
Kotobuki...
Asahi Br...
Fangs
ONIRO
Media
Trailers
Cast
Writers & Directors
Reviews
Marr 🇳🇱
November 01, 2015
9/10
Just seen this on All Hallows' Eve. It's a bit old, but gold! I definitely have to rewatch this, because you just got to pay attention to 'know' what is happening and follow the story. I think you'd better understand/follow the story and that it will make more sense when you watch it a second time. The whole movie experience was pretty much like every time you think you got it all figured out, you learn something new and turn out to be all wrong. I loved all those twists and turns and the is-...
The Movie Diorama
January 16, 2020
10/10
Perfect Blue perfectly blends psychologically disturbed fantasy with grounded reality. Mima Kirigoe. A pop-idol. An actress. An X-rated model. Public image and its personifying echoes circulate around the world, adhering to the desires of endearing fans alike. But when their inspirational idol haphazardly shifts career, from pop sensation to dramatic actress, the psychosis of the modern consumer society ultimately changes with her. Saddened, angered and crazed. Mima’s abrupt persona altering car...
GenerationofSwine
January 12, 2023
10/10
I caught this in High School and it instantly took me as an eerie Alfred Hitchcock show that did an outstanding job of feeding on pure paranoia. It was unsettling, it was scary, and at the time it seemed as realistic as it could be for an anime movie. As I rode through it, I started doubting what was real and what wasn't and that is a hallmark of a great movie, that ability to keep the viewer on their toes.
CinemaSerf
February 09, 2023
7/10
The young "Mima" has a successful, if limited, career singing with a girl band, but she is restless. Her manager insists he can get her an acting job on a popular soap - and that's the way to fame and fortune. Like so many other impressionable young folks, she tries to follow her dream - but is really only following his, and is soon being photographed (intimately), denigrated and her grasp on reality is soon compromised. When things start to take an altogether more sinister turn, though, we star...
griggs79
October 03, 2024
7/10
Perfect Blue, a cult anime film that remains as relevant today as it was when it was first released, follows the story of a teenage girl on the brink of insanity. Its exploration of unsettling themes such as consent and exploitation may make for uncomfortable viewing, but it's a stark reminder of the issues we still face. Despite some parts feeling dated, its prediction of the Internet as a tool for stalking and the rise of social media for harassment is particularly noteworthy.
Similar Movies
Frequently Asked Questions
Perfect Blue was released in 1998.
Perfect Blue has a runtime of 1 hr 22 min (82 minutes).
Perfect Blue belongs to the following genres: Animation, Thriller.
Perfect Blue has a rating of 8.3/10 from 3,216 votes on TMDB.
In the United States, Perfect Blue is available to watch on: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store.