Perfect Blue

“illusions can’t come to life” it’s honestly just taken me way too long to actually see this, not only was it like one of the first things i ever put on my watchlist, but it also holds the title of the highest rated horror film on letterboxd (which is only a 4.4, which is significantly lower than every other genre which is weird). after watching, did i think it was the best horror movie ever made? probably not. but was it an actual breathtaking experience of pure nightmarish surrealism that makes you misunderstand if the current scene is the protagonists reality, or her dreams and hallucinations? totally! japanese cinema, especially horror, is something i’ve really been interested with lately: and its honesty superior to american film in every way. often a lot scarier, and more intense, experimental themes that often aren’t present in western film, besides some obvious exceptions. ‘perfect blue’ was just everything i love about japanese movies, and simply more. perfect blue is easily one of the hardest movies to decipher, there’s about a million puzzle pieces and it’s really hard to conjoin them, but once you’ve worked it out, it’s a thematically rich and highly interesting anime that really challenges your mentality in a way nothing else can. also, this movie clearly inspired black swan, like the plots are highly similar, and yeah i was kinda disappointed because i preferred black swan, as i felt it expanded its source material, and just makes it better. but its still really interesting and admirable how a vhs japanese directional debut cult classic manages to influence foreign film even decades later. with that all out the way, the main reason i loved this movie, is because of how well this film blurs reality and fiction, also using meta-horror to its advantage, as mina stars in a film, and also goes through loads of dreams. this structure confused me even more, trying to figure out if what is happening, is actual happening. it shows the danger of fame, through the really creepy stalker, using its surrealism to show how not under control, a fans parasocial relationship of a celebrity which doesn’t even know they exist, is both odd and often harmful. this movie is ahead of its time as it showcases a digital persona, that is very clearly relevant today through social media. it has so much psychological depth, showing how animation isn’t just entertainment for children, but actually sometimes high-stake and  blood pressure rising. it’s just beautiful. it’s super realistic, gritty: and explores the detrimental nature of obsession and the loss of self.