The narrative begins with a local interviewer meeting a successful actress who has become a recluse since retiring from the industry. It does not take long before the plot develops. The premise for the film may not seem entirely believable at first; a young girl pursuing a career in acting to look for a stranger whom she fell in love with over night. But, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that this love is a form of escapism for Chiyoko. Nevertheless, it is the style of storytelling that makes the film interesting.
Being a Satoshi Kon film, it is expected that reality will be twisted and bent as the story progresses. In Millenium Actress, this is achieved through transitioning between the real world and movie scenes, melding both together to portray both the stage of Chiyoko's career and the direction her real life is heading. However there are still several scenes where the divide between her films and her real life is clear, making it easy to keep up with the story.
The settings used in this film add to the charm of Millenium Actress. The film manages to cover some major points in Japan's recent history as well as depicting some of the changes in Japanese cinema. It begins with current day Japan, but travels from early WW2 through to the 70s/80s where sci fi became massive. The pacing for the film is done correctly, allowing time to absorb the historical scenery while still being engaged with the plot.
There are only a few minor criticisms to be made about this film. The soundtrack doesn't stand out much, but it does its job well enough to complement each scene. Apart from Chiyoko no other characters receive any real development; only the interviewer gets some minor character exploration, but that gets a pass since it is clear the focus is on Chiyoko. The plot itself is fairly standard for a romance film of this kind; the only standout being the ending.
Millenium Actress is a film that shows the talents of Satoshi Kon once again. He is able to change a simple romance story into something visually appealing and entertaining from beginning to end. This is definitely one of the better anime films that I have seen and I recommend everyone see it, especially if you are a fan of romance.
