Millennium Actress is the second feature film by Satoshi Kon- and in a departure from the psychological, brand bending narratives that he has been known for, Mr. Kon took a vastly different approach to his third work in creating a wonderfully sentimental drama. Kon blends his signature flair for a fast paced, quick cutting narrative with a classic edge to it- flawlessly flowing from one scene to the next through clever cinematography, match cuts, and playing with the perspective of the viewer. Millennium Actress watches almost like a stream of consciousness style narrative, told through the ages- much like James Cameron's "Titanic".
In fact, Millennium Actress and Titanic have a lot in common, particularly from a storytelling point of view. Perhaps Kon was even inspired somewhat by it, as Titanic uses an excellent plot device that allows it to shift times and scenes in a memoir type style. Titanic features an elderly Rose, a survivor of the fateful shipwreck receiving her long lost pendant from a diving crew who found the wreck, and proceeds to tell them her story as the memories come flooding back. In Actress, when presented with her old necklace- a key on a string, Chiyoko retells the story of her journey through the decades of being a movie star, as if a door had been opened with the returned key. (or the Blue's Clues closet, take your pick).
Chiyoko's life is the subject of a biopic/documentary being made by one Genya Tachibana, a former stagehand in the studio that Ms. Chiyoko Fujiwara once ran. Tachibana idolized her in the past, and when he discovered the key that had been, well, the key to her success, he sought to return it to her, and with it, gain an interview with the enigmatic, reclusive, actress. The elder Chiyoko gratefully accepts his gift, and proceeds to begin with her earliest life stories- and her entrance into film. The viewer is as much on a journey as Tachibana and his faithfully snarky cameraman, as they begin to relive the highlights of Ms. Fujiwara's life, told through her films and anecdotes- which seamlessly blend between the present day, clips from her movies, and pure memory.
Her movies throughout the decades range from traditional Japanese Edo-period work, 1920s drama, 30s expansionism, WWII war films, film noir, and more- but each with a central theme. Each of her movies revolves around the point of love lost and the chase, the journey to reclaim said love and become one, and like Titanic, it's a story of discovery for the documentary makers, who also insert themselves into the story, reliving the the moments of heartbreak, triumph, tragedy, and yearning along with the elderly Chiyoko.
We see different characters in her movies, but who represent the same obstacles to Chiyoko thematically: people in the way of her quest to find her lost love- the giver of the key so dear to her. The jealous older actress. The manipulative director. The borderline abusive husbands. The story seen in many an actress in the golden age of film in Hollywood as well. Sunset Boulevard is another fantastic film dealing with a reclusive, mysterious actress with a past- and like Millennium Actress, is based in reality.
Millennium Actress is based, in part, on the life of one Setsuko Hara, who was essentially the Gloria Swanson of Japan. She was known for achieving her best successes almost exclusively with Yasujirō Ozu (like Swanson, who worked with Erich von Stroheim in an early role, and later in a comeback, the same as her character in Sunset Boulevard) and never married. After Ozu's death in the early 60s, Hara's career, which spanned three decades from the 30s-60s, abruptly stopped. She became a recluse, and lived in an area where several of their films were shot for the rest of her life. Like Setsuko Hara's life and Swanson's character in Sunset, Chiyoko also takes to living reclusively after the loss of her key.
The story itself is a touching drama interspersed with a few comedic moments, but mostly deals with life, love, and the pursuit- and all that comes with it. Seeing the parallels between Chiyoko's characters and her life match up with the films and her career creates a beautiful pair of stories developing simultaneously, encompassing life across genres, time periods, hardships, and personal tragedy and triumph. The story melds not only Chiyoko's life, but also entangles Genya in it as well, tying up all the ends in such a way that he was not purely a vehicle for the audience to view the movie through, but also integrating him and making the audience further invested. A masterfully told tale- and yet another anime film that anyone who considers themselves an enthusiast should see.
In the end, the old adage is true; love conquers all.
