Millenium Actress is a film that won several awards, but because it was released in the same year as Miyazaki’s masterpiece Spirited Away, it was somewhat overshadowed. It tells the life story of Chiyoko Fujiwara, a once famous actor who has been in a hermit-like state since she left acting around. She is interviewed by Tachibana, her biggest admirer, as the studio she worked for is being torn down. Before he interviews her Tachibana gives her a key and this leads Chiyoko to reflect on how she got the key and retell the story of her journey to find out what it opens. This film is seemingly underappreciated as it has many high points. For example, the visuals are very appealing as each flashback is shown slightly differently. It looks as if it could be a Ghibli film. The movie is overall a very moving journey.
For me the highlight of the film was definitely the storytelling. The way the creators of this masterpiece used the various films to tell the story was beautiful. She was displayed as everything from a ninja princess, to a teacher, from a nurse, to a geisha and from a futuristic astronaut to just a normal lady. Although her time period and character changed, the story stayed the same; she was still searching for her long last idealised lover. Not only the fact so many different stories were used in one coherent plot, but the way they showed extra details about how Chiyoko felt and reflected on the situations she lived in. For example when she was questioned about her key she felt as if those questioning her were nothing more than school children looking for gossip, but it was more important to her. Likewise although her fights with the characters played by Eiko were symbolic of how Eiko was her actual enemy throughout the film, misdirecting her with the fortuneteller and later stealing the key. It was also used to nicely play on what other characters told her. When she visits Hokkaido it is in the film where she visits a moon because the mystery man described it as like a distant planet. In addition it allows the film to create this sort of time paradox of past and present, where Chiyoko is reliving the past through her films and memoriesm which is also really interesting. Overall I really found the way in which this love story was told as new, innovative and exceptional. This alone made the film worth watching for me.
But I do digress as you can probably guess from the title that I will be exploring how this film can be emotionally received in two ways. First we could be happy despite Chiyoko’s death. First she has got what seemed to be her most cherished possession back from Tachibana. The journey she has been on with Tachibana has seemingly restored her memory of the man and brought her happiness in recounting her life. The key literally unlocks the door to her youth, which seems to be long buried, either by will or by age. The key also unlocks something else, Chiyoko’s hope for the future. Although she is dying she is at peace now with her key and memories. She says she is happy because she is meeting the mysterious painter man she loves, as she passes into the next. Even though she knows the man does not actually exist, she loves the journey in search of her perfect man nevertheless. It is her life’s adventure, as epic as the situations of all her films combined. Her new journey is likened to a space odyssey in search of her love. This search both keeps her young and makes her happy. She is joyfully going on the next stage of her expedition, and we should be happy for her too, despite mourning for her.
Although at the end Chiyoko appears happy, there is a harsh reality behind all this that made Chiyoko’s journey a sad one as well. First she never met her man and, as we learn from Tachibana’s story of the scarred policeman, Chiyoko was chasing a ghost the whole time. She could never find her man, no matter how hard she looked, as he was captured and tortured to death. Her journey was one of hardship and sorrow. Throughout the film it seemed as though the closest people she had were just liars and those who discouraged her. Otaki just wanted to go out with her, Eiko was jealous of her youth and her mother was less than encouraging. The only person who she was close to was her imaginary man, a very lonely life indeed. She is happy living like a hermit once she faces reality of her situation (after almost dying in filming). The main reason I see her journey as a said one is because it is portrayed as a curse. This is done when she (in a film digression when looking for her “lord”) drinks a potion from some old weaving lady. It is then revealed she is under her spell to be in love for her man for the rest of her life. This is not portrayed as a blessing but as a curse, because this lady will often reappear in reflections to laugh at the misfortunes and wrong turns Chiyoko makes. This woman appropriately is revealed with reflections as she is in fact Chiyoko’s elder self and represents Chiyoko’s mortality. It shows how Chiyoko really feels as though her journey is a waste of time and she hates how deeply she loves someone she will never find and how someone she only met for a brief period of time could have such a last effect on her (because she was so young perhaps). The reason she quits making films, which she kept making in order to find her lover in the hope he would see them and find her, is because she sees her reflection and realizes he will not recognise. She realizes she is too old to be recognisable, showing she has wasted her life with this journey. She does not want her key when she rushes out and presumably does not look for it again. This film is very poignant and mostly for sad reasons.
Despite being poignant and a sad film in many ways this film brings quite a bit of humour to the table as well. This is mainly done with Kyoji, the cameraman. Although he does offer some valuable commentary he does seem to be the character that brings comic relief to the table. This is shown from the outset with his stark contrast to his boss Tachibana, which creates humour with the way they react to the tea for example. Kyoji’s commentary can also bring comedy like how he comments that he wished Eiko gave him money, when she plays a character betrayed by a lover for money. Likewise, Tachibana also brings comedy with his various roles and the overemotional way he reacts to Chiyoko’s scenes and seeing her. However, I was left wondering if this humour was needed or even appropriate to the film. The only joke that was central to the story as showed how Chiyoko was reenacting her films to tell her lifestory, was when the flashback cut early and she and Tachibana were still acting as though they were in the film. This was not the only time the fourth wall was broken but again I wonder were such jokes that take you out of the moment worth it. I suppose it could come down to how you feel about the film. If you see it as having a happy message then surely you are more likely to accept these pieces. However, I believe the film could and should have been more touching without these, as I felt the film to be one of heartbreak really.
Chiyoko had many roles such as a ninja: http://www.zerochan.net/
In the same way we can interpret the symbolism of the lotus to create either a good feeling or a bad feeling within the film. The lotus, as we are told by Tachibana, symbolises simple purity. It is used to portray both the mysterious man and Chiyoko. If we see the man as pure we think the journey is worth it. He is the ideal man and Chiyoko is right to chase after him. But at the same time is anyone ever that simple or pure? It thus also shows how Chiyoko was naïve to chase after something that could not have been as good as seemed to be. She only met the guy for a brief time when she was young, how could she be sure he was as good as she had made him up to be? Likewise we can see Chiyoko as the lotus in that she is pure too. She feels nothing but love for the painter and races for him no matter what the peril may be. But at the same time this also shows her blissful ignorance of the true situation. Her youth being like the lotus only further emphasises the part her reflection plays in showing her devotion (her purity) as a curse, not as a blessing.
The older Chiyoko says she both loves and hates her younger self. She both hates and loves the fact she is madly in love with her mysterious painter. It keeps her young and with a goal in mind. The old Chiyoko loves her journey. But at the same time the reflection Chiyoko hates the journey. It is never-ending and will thus never satisfy her fully. Ultimately, unlike other films I have looked at for this series of posts, I myself cannot get past the harsh realities of the situation the main character is in to feel as she does with the conclusion. I found this film to be very touching, but the end with the happy Chiyoko was not enough to change my feelings of the story. I live by the idea that the ends justify the means. However, Chiyoko had no end to justify her traumatic journey. If she had found her man, then maybe so, but the mystery painter was just a shadow. Likewise, although the key opened the door to a long journey, it was never truly used. It never unlocked what it was meant to unlock. Chiyoko’s love is presented as a curse by her older, wiser self and I think this is what really hits me.
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