PERFECT BLUE celebrates its 25th anniversary, screening September 16-22

 

Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 1997, forever changing the landscape of animated film as well as influencing many filmmakers to this day. The film operates as a psychological thriller with key horror aspects, yet what stands out most from Perfect Blue is its themes regarding fame, identity, and obsession, which are still hauntingly relevant to this day.

 

Besides being one of the few early animated films targeted exclusively for adults, Perfect Blue has also proven influential to a wide array of filmmakers, most notably Darren Aronofsky with his film Black Swan. Kon’s other films have also had clear influences on filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, who’s infamous hallway fight scene in Inception is strikingly similar to a scene in Kon’s Paprika. Perfect Blue’s unique approach to genre, presenting a high concept sci-fi with clear societal thematic undertones, has been replicated and built on ever since, including films like The Matrix (Perfect Blue was released overseas before The Matrix).

 

Today, over 10 years after Satoshi Kon’s death, his influence can be seen in many films, both animated and not. Read more about Perfect Blue’s influence in this article here, and also make sure to check out this article here discussing the film’s 25 year anniversary.