__Fathom Events Remastered Re-Release - Subtitled
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A literal and figurative cycle of tragic professionalism and loss, exaggerated for audiences who see everything, and yet nothing, about our protagonist's journey and psyche. Chiyoko is motivated by a naive love that is long-lasting, establishing a story which, despite all of its repetitive narrative beats and lack of space given to our protagonist's motivations and the consequences from them, is visually satisfying and highly well-directed by the late Satoshi Kon. Not to mention, the film's context within itself has a disturbing undertone; an elderly woman losing memories is able to summarize the base of her life through the roles that she has played - or, in other words, roles that define her, externally. How tragic is that?

Just to be clear, Millennium Actress' narrative, while fairly well done in its entirety isn't its strongest device, though credit is due for exploring characters who feel real. The choice of having the filmmaker and the camera guy follow Chiyoko through her life, while clever in concept, eventually gets old not too far into the story, though the inclusion of Genya as different characters was absolutely the best part. The early revelation of the reason for Chiyoko's career is simplistic in its execution, and insignificant in its impact. Do I want her to find the painter? Kind of. Is the film going to keep throwing obstacles at her during her quest? Obviously. Will they ever be able to be together? Seeing how the film unravels, the outcome is not surprising. But it's not a huge blow to the film's levity; a simple "you can't entirely trick me this time" doesn't matter.

The journey is a visually-stunning moving portrait and tribute of Japanese culture. The lesson about memories, mainly in regards to Chiyoko's, can seem a bit disjointed, but the blur between the lines of fiction and reality is one deserving of experimentation, which Kon crafts exceptionally. Animation-wise, aside from some slacking shots of character movements and missing frames, is colorful, yet cold; a perfect choice for this story. Its soundtrack absolutely floored me as well, even when it was included in the least-opportune moments (for instance, using excitingly slow music for drama scenes that are more human and less grand-in-scale).

This film isn't as emotionally-powerful as it could've been, but it will otherwise leave a lasting impression on you with those final lines of dialogue, making the experience worth it.

The chase for the most important thing in life is everlasting.