Millennium Actress (Satoshi Kon, 2001, Japan/South Korea, 87 minutes
A narrative that weaves together reality, memories, and movies, Millennium Actress recounts the life and career of an actress now in a state of reflection and reminiscence. Told through films within memories within a film, with a beautifully lucid blending of time and space, Kon’s sophomore feature manages to uphold the strengths in illusion and intricacy that he so notably established in his debut, but this time through the lens of romantic love and loss.
Millennium Actress is available to watch through streaming services Hoopla, Kanopy and Amazon Prime (subject to change). Alternatively, it can be rented digitally on most platforms for $2-4.
With a free post-film discussion on May 13 at 7:00 p.m. from Elsa Chanez, PhD student in Japanese language and literature at Washington University in St. Louis.