Cinema
Perfect Blue
パーフェクトブルー
Satoshi Kon · 1997
Synopsis
Mima leaves the trio of singers she belonged to in order to become an actress, to the great dismay of her admirers. Her agent pushes her towards a dark role in a crime drama series, according to Offi, which requires a rape scene shot in a club. An obsessive admirer follows her, and she discovers a website, “Mima's Room”, which keeps her diary in her place with intimate details. Under the pressure, she sees her double as a singer appear, and a series of murders strikes people linked to her new career.
Context
The material comes from a book by Takeuchi Yoshikazu, at first promised a live-action film. The director was given only three instructions: a second-rank singer, a fanatical admirer and horror; he wrote a new story with Murai Sadayuki, produced by the studio Madhouse. The master whose assistant he had been recommended him for this project, according to Sight and Sound. The premiere took place at the Fantasia festival in Montreal on 5 August 1997, where the audience singled it out; Japanese cinemas did not have it until 28 February 1998.
Who it is for
Eighty-one minutes of animation for adults, harsh in places, in which dream, filming and real life merge.
Prizes and reception
Its author's first feature film, awarded by the Montreal audience, it was re-released in French cinemas in 2018.