Millennium Actress

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Millennium Actress

PG

Released Sep 12, 2003

1h 27m

Drama

Fantasy

Anime

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Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In this animated movie, filmmaker Genya Tachibana begins work on a documentary about famed Japanese actress Chiyoko Fujiwara. Now well into old age, Chiyoko has become reclusive and shy about any publicity, but she eventually warms up to Tachibana and starts to relate her life story. As the decades pass, Chiyoko is transformed from a teen with big dreams into a full-blown celebrity, while her cinematic characters span various eras, from ancient Japan to the distant future.

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Critics Consensus

The story of an aging movie actress' complicated personal saga unfolds in this sophisticated anime film that deftly blurs memory and make-believe into a meditation on the nature of cinema itself.

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

The finest anime film I've ever seen.

Rated: A

May 4, 2005

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Millennium Actress has more layers to it than the proverbial onion, but Kon's sure hand keeps things moving right along.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 27, 2003

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Jeff Shannon

Seattle Times

Given its complex array of fact, fiction, location, character and atmosphere, Millennium Actress is almost unimaginable in any other medium.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 17, 2003

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Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

This beautiful animation...relies on an interesting mix of reality and fantasy...and the result is an intelligent, complex and multi-layered anime that pays equal attention to romance, the philosophy of destiny, and Japanese cinematic history.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 21, 2024

Full Review

Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

... truth and fiction, time and memory, love and loss, all intermingle until the only way to get to the end of the story is not through the linear path but by jumping forward and backward and forward again as memory becomes the road we travel.

Mar 21, 2022

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Yago Paris

El antepenúltimo mohicano

[A] jewel of Japanese animation. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/5

Mar 4, 2021

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Olive S

His dream was human rights, her dream was to meet him again. Pristine snowfields, the full moon, lotus flowers. The pinnacle of romanticism and idealism. Snow turns to muddy water, the moon wanes, the lotus withers. But next year/month, the snow will fall again, the moon will be full once more, and the lotus will bloom anew. Nature always bestows its tenderness. The sense of deprivation from what was never obtained makes love even more intense. Just a little reciprocation is enough to make one willing to give their all! What she fell in love with was love itself — she can’t even remember his face anymore. The chase keeps one forever young. Running toward you, while enduring loneliness and cold; Running toward you, even if chasing only a phantom. What is loved the most, is the journey of pursuing dreams, and oneself brimming with love!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/08/25

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Tom F

A pleasant enough movie, for me it didn’t quite elicit the emotions it was working so hard for.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/01/25

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Audience Member

I felt bad for the mysterious guy. And that's what happens to the guys who get caught, always. Anyways, apart from that. The actress was delusional and spent her entire life like that. I didn't like the movie at all. They are all fairytales and scenarios. What a shame...

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/24/25

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Noe G

Millennium actress was an amazing satoshi kon movie it has a great story Amazing animation, and amazing characters. And my rating is a 10/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/10/25

Full Review

Fer S

A very interesting way of telling a not very interesting story.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/07/24

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Hargie M

this cinematic masterpiece is a testament to the depth and sophistication that animation can achieve, proving that those who dismiss the medium as merely children's entertainment are missing out on something truly extraordinary.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/06/24

Full Review

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Satoshi Kon

Director

Miyoko Shôji

Chiyoko Fujiwara (70's)

Mami Koyama

Chiyoko Fujiwara (20-40's)

Fumiko Orikasa

Chiyoko Fujiwara (10-20's)

Shôzô Iizuka

Genya Tachibana

Masaya Onosaka

Kyoji Ida

Millennium Actress: Fathom Events Trailer

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Synopsis

In this animated movie, filmmaker Genya Tachibana begins work on a documentary about famed Japanese actress Chiyoko Fujiwara. Now well into old age, Chiyoko has become reclusive and shy about any publicity, but she eventually warms up to Tachibana and starts to relate her life story. As the decades pass, Chiyoko is transformed from a teen with big dreams into a full-blown celebrity, while her cinematic characters span various eras, from ancient Japan to the distant future.

Director: Satoshi Kon
Producer: Taro Maki
Screenwriter: Satoshi Kon, Sadayuki Murai
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: Mad House Company Ltd.
Rating: PG (Violence|Thematic Elements|Brief Mild Language)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 12, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 18, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.3K
Runtime: 1h 27m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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