This review includes an analysis of the film and will contain spoilers.
"Perfect Blue" stands today as one of Japanese anime's most effective and interesting thrillers to date. Many have been inspired by the film's effective tone and influence on the thriller's potential narrative but few have achieved what "Perfect Blue" is capable of. It also stands as Satoshi Kon's most intriguing and technically masterful piece of work.
The story follows young Mima, a pop idol turned actress at the peak of her career. As she graciously enters the acting world and accept intimidating and morally questionable roles, she begins to lose her grasp on reality while being tormented by a potentially dangerous stalker. As the story progresses to depict Mima's deepening insanity, so too does the narrative become increasingly more unreliable. Each scene presents itself with new information that gives all previous scenes completely new meaning. Watching this film is indeed a process of learning and trashing what you've just learned, and then getting it back. While the narrative does become complex in its layers, the film never feels like it's out of reach. Thankfully, it never feels needlessly confusing or pretentious (although it comes close to riding that line). Instead, the film presents its material in a thoughtful and meticulous way that makes sense while also puzzling the audience. It's not too difficult to follow but must be watched carefully, as any great film should be.
A great strength to the film is its method of building a releasing tension. "Perfect Blue" has a unique pattern throughout its run-time of building tension faster than releasing it so while we get moments of breaths and catharsis, we still feel kind of off. We know something isn't right and we're waiting for the ugly and deathly truth to be revealed. What makes this possible is the brilliantly editing and cutting done here. Ever shot's length and sequence is obviously there for a reason and the editing lends itself well to the film's brilliant pace and rhythm.
What enriches the experience of "Perfect Blue" is also the visual symbols and motifs present throughout the film. Colors play a crucial part in the story's interpretation (I personally feel). Key colors to look for here are white, red, and blue. White seems to wrap the film by beginning and ending the film with white, dreamy illusions that make one wonder, is this a dream? Red signifying oncoming death/violence and blue signifying a sexual undertone as well as loneliness. Red is crucial to the first murder scene of the screenwriter as he looks down in the elevator to see a boombox with a stark red floor just before his eyes are gouged out. Blue's meaning can be found during the lonely night time scenes with the busy but quiet nightscape of Tokyo. What's interesting is the rape scenes, particularly the first one that features noticeable shades of both blue and red.
Great filmmaking aside, I do think there are some places where the film doesn't work and those problems reside with key choices in the script. Particularly decisions made during the third act of the piece. As it's revealed that Rumi is the crazy one who's trying to kill Mima, I found myself scratching my head at this unwarranted turn of events. Many great plots and subplots contained great exposition, development, and payoff (three key scenes with Mima's fish) but this one should've been much better handled. Rumi's turn to insanity felt completely forced and out of left field that I just didn't buy it. What could've strengthened the story's third act could've been illusions or false premonitions of the stalker whom Mima killed just a couple scenes ago. Either way, the film's ending provides just enough openness for interpretation while still giving opportunity of some objective answers. Just depends on who you ask.
"Perfect Blue" is genuinely a great psychological thriller that shouldn't be missed. There's a lot to learn from this great film when it comes to pacing, editing, atmosphere, and the power of anti-plot narrative. Each viewing comes with new insights that change the complete interpretation of the film which makes it strangely re-watchable despite its strong adult content. Definitely give this one a few viewings before forming some strong interpretations and thoughts because it deserves it.
"Perfect Blue" stands today as one of Japanese anime's most effective and interesting thrillers to date. Many have been inspired by the film's effective tone and influence on the thriller's potential narrative but few have achieved what "Perfect Blue" is capable of. It also stands as Satoshi Kon's most intriguing and technically masterful piece of work.
The story follows young Mima, a pop idol turned actress at the peak of her career. As she graciously enters the acting world and accept intimidating and morally questionable roles, she begins to lose her grasp on reality while being tormented by a potentially dangerous stalker. As the story progresses to depict Mima's deepening insanity, so too does the narrative become increasingly more unreliable. Each scene presents itself with new information that gives all previous scenes completely new meaning. Watching this film is indeed a process of learning and trashing what you've just learned, and then getting it back. While the narrative does become complex in its layers, the film never feels like it's out of reach. Thankfully, it never feels needlessly confusing or pretentious (although it comes close to riding that line). Instead, the film presents its material in a thoughtful and meticulous way that makes sense while also puzzling the audience. It's not too difficult to follow but must be watched carefully, as any great film should be.
A great strength to the film is its method of building a releasing tension. "Perfect Blue" has a unique pattern throughout its run-time of building tension faster than releasing it so while we get moments of breaths and catharsis, we still feel kind of off. We know something isn't right and we're waiting for the ugly and deathly truth to be revealed. What makes this possible is the brilliantly editing and cutting done here. Ever shot's length and sequence is obviously there for a reason and the editing lends itself well to the film's brilliant pace and rhythm.
What enriches the experience of "Perfect Blue" is also the visual symbols and motifs present throughout the film. Colors play a crucial part in the story's interpretation (I personally feel). Key colors to look for here are white, red, and blue. White seems to wrap the film by beginning and ending the film with white, dreamy illusions that make one wonder, is this a dream? Red signifying oncoming death/violence and blue signifying a sexual undertone as well as loneliness. Red is crucial to the first murder scene of the screenwriter as he looks down in the elevator to see a boombox with a stark red floor just before his eyes are gouged out. Blue's meaning can be found during the lonely night time scenes with the busy but quiet nightscape of Tokyo. What's interesting is the rape scenes, particularly the first one that features noticeable shades of both blue and red.
Great filmmaking aside, I do think there are some places where the film doesn't work and those problems reside with key choices in the script. Particularly decisions made during the third act of the piece. As it's revealed that Rumi is the crazy one who's trying to kill Mima, I found myself scratching my head at this unwarranted turn of events. Many great plots and subplots contained great exposition, development, and payoff (three key scenes with Mima's fish) but this one should've been much better handled. Rumi's turn to insanity felt completely forced and out of left field that I just didn't buy it. What could've strengthened the story's third act could've been illusions or false premonitions of the stalker whom Mima killed just a couple scenes ago. Either way, the film's ending provides just enough openness for interpretation while still giving opportunity of some objective answers. Just depends on who you ask.
"Perfect Blue" is genuinely a great psychological thriller that shouldn't be missed. There's a lot to learn from this great film when it comes to pacing, editing, atmosphere, and the power of anti-plot narrative. Each viewing comes with new insights that change the complete interpretation of the film which makes it strangely re-watchable despite its strong adult content. Definitely give this one a few viewings before forming some strong interpretations and thoughts because it deserves it.