Movie Review: Perfect Blue

I walked into the movie theater like an unsuspecting fool. I had heard of Satoshi Kon, as any big anime fan has, and I was hyped to finally see one of his films. I, alas, had been completely misdirected as to Japanese anime auture by Miyazaki because what I would witness in Perfect Blue was Fight Club meets Shutter Island.

I won’t speak too much about the content of Perfect Blue as it’s worth watching with little context, though not none. If you are sensitive to violence and sexual assault imagery, then I would read the wiki before watching.

To me, the brilliance of Perfect Blue comes from two points. First is that the “truth” of reality is never fully cemented by the end of the movie. There is relatively little time from the “who dunnit” reveal to the ending of the movie. In this small sliver of time, the implied result is that Mima (the main character) is once again lucid and thriving in her acting role. However, it is entirely possible, given that she is visiting a mental health facility, that she is in fact still dealing with a split personality disorder. Second, there is a vastness of interpretation as to what the moral lesson is from this movie. This is by both a vast array of topics (the pop idol industry or stardom in general, a critique of gender and power dynamics, how the internet and technology supercharged stalking, the mental health care system, etc.) and that it isn’t clear how the director is trying to portray these facets.

The result is a depth and breadth of conversation and impact. When I was walking back home from the screening, I was filled with conversation from movie goers about the intensity and graphicness of the scenes - many of us did not know what we were getting into - and then wildly different interpretations of the meaning of the film itself. Overall, I have no issue recommending this film for its excellent and grotesque animation, compelling and violently late 80s/early90s aesthetic, with a story that is truly trying to affect us.