Things I Watched: Perfect Blue - A Devious Thriller About Confused Identity
A sense of confused identity persists throughout Satoshi Kon's devious animated thriller Perfect Blue . Despite approaching to twenty years since it was first released, it remains a whip-smart film; one I don’t mind admitting had me scratching my head for long periods when I watched it last week. Anime doesn't always get compared to arthouse cinema but this one fits the bill. It's a film that toys with expectations before turning them inside out in a frantic search for identity. The film begins with lead character Mima Kirigoe taking to the stage to perform as part of the all-girl pop group CHAM. To greet the group are an array adoring audience members, all male, who cheer and shout the three lascivious women belt out their upbeat and catchy songs. Given her vocation, Mima is no stranger to being considered somebody she isn’t but this becomes the source of great consternation when visceral daydreams interrupts her life. As these begin to coincide with a slew of grueso...
