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Perfect Blue

7.5

15,793

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Remake:

Perfect Blue (TV)

Original title

Perfect Blueaka

AKA

パーフェクトブルー

Year

1997

Running time

81 min.

Country

Japan

Director

Satoshi Kon

Screenwriter

Sadayuki Murai. Novel: Yoshikazu Takeuchi

Cast

Animation

Music

Masahiro Ikumi

Cinematography

Animation, Hisao Shirai, Yôichi Kuroda

Producer

Rex Entertainment

Genre

Animation. Horror. Thriller. Drama | Psychological Drama. Psychological Thriller. Film In Film. Computers / Internet. Adult Animation. Cult Movie

Movie Groups

Perfect Blue

Synopsis

A surprisingly thoughtful analysis of the Japanese pop icon phenomenon. Mima is an ex-pop idol who was worshipped by the masses before fashion dictated otherwise. In order to salvage her career, she decides to drop music and pursue acting. A soap opera role is offered but Mima's character is less clean cut than desired. Regardless, she agrees and events take a turn for the worse. She begins to feel reality slip. She discovers (imagines?) her identical twin, a mirror image that hasn't given up singing. Internet sites appear describing every intimate detail of her life and a figure stalks her from the shadows. Her friends and associates are threatened, and killed, as Mima descends into a dangerous world of paranoid delusion. She fears for her life and must unravel fact from illusion in order to stay alive.

Rankings Position

#18 Best Animated Works for Adults
#26 Best Horror Movies
#41 Best Animated Movies
#85 Best Japanese Movies of all time
#88 Best Thrillers in the history of film
#94 Best Movies of the '90s

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Awards: 1997: Sitges Film Festival: Best Animated Film

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Critics' reviews

An acclaimed directorial debut from master Satoshi Kon. According to Roger Corman "A startling and powerful film. If Alfred Hitchcock partnered with Walt Disney they'd make a picture like this."

FilmAffinity
"The denouement isn't very surprising or enlightening, but at its best this works as both a critique of Japan's pop culture system and an effective woman-in-peril psycho-thriller."

Tony Rayns: Time Out
"An original story (...) Where 'Perfect Blue' succeeds, then, is in its smart, disorienting depiction of a girl on the edge of madness (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"

Marc Savlov: Austin Chronicle
"A psychological thriller that intrigues without quite hitting the bull's-eye (...) Animation is surprisingly routine"

Dennis Harvey: Variety
"The real surprise of 'Perfect Blue' (...) is that it takes the insipidity of teenybopper fandom and gives it a vicious twist."

Bob Graham: SFGATE
"Strange, stylish and intelligent, this is a rare anime film that delivers on its Eastern promise (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"

Kim Newman: Empire
"[It] still packs a punch (...) 'Perfect Blue' has its own kind of cult pungency (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"

Peter Bradshaw: The Guardian
"Despite clever moments and flashes of inspired animation, 'Perfect Blue' is marred by a vapid central character, thuddingly banal dialogue (...) and increasing unpleasantness"

Scott Tobias: AV Club

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Perfect Blue

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