Does anybody remember this science show for kids way back during the early nineties? Paul Zaloom, as the titular mad scientist Beakman, grabbed the attention of millions of kids with his zany, wacky antics and the pure insanity - so to speak - of his team. I remember laughing through each episode as a kid, thinking that it was just another gag show.

I never realized just how much I was learning by watching this show. Beakman was the perfect catalyst for transferring knowledge via enjoyable means, at least for kids (I doubt if this same tactic would work with grown-ups and even more complicated concepts). Years later, I don’t remember the things I learned from watching Zaloom and his team on TV, although I know that some of the concepts I was able to utilize during my secondary school years I learned from this show.

Here’s a video I was able to find on Youtube of Beakman, Lester, and Cindy the camel:

That was the trailer of what could be considered Satoshi Kon’s masterpiece, the magnificent Millennium Actress. Released way back in 2001, this feature film immediately caught the hearts of all of its viewers in Asia and even in the west, and has been nominated, and received, a slew of cultural recognition awards.

And for good reason. Somewhat fresh from his breakout work Perfect Blue, Kon veers away from the psychological thriller premise that drives most of his movies forward, and instead tells the beautiful story of an aging actress’ life during an interview conducted by a documentary specialist captivated by her long and admirable career.

The story starts with Genya Tachibana, as he watches one of the films by the actress Chiyoko Fujiwara in preparation for his interview when the first of a series of miniature earthquakes strikes. Tachibana knows that Chiyoko has, during her later years, become something of a recluse; he believes, however, that she has become an important cultural icon of Japan, and should thus be preserved for posterity. Most of her films have been preserved, even after the production company responsible for most of her films closed down; however, very little of her life’s story is known, which is what drives Tachibana to conduct an interview before the old lady passes away.

Upon meeting her, it is revealed that Chiyoko is a strong and beautiful woman even in her old age, and it takes very little prodding to get her to tell the story of her life. This is where the film gets interesting; the story mixes scenes from her life and her films to narrate Chiyoko’s story.

This is, I think, what makes the film one of the best I’ve seen in a while. While it gets confusing at times, it’s rather interesting seeing how the various selected cuts from Chiyoko’s films mesh with each other. Chiyoko’s personality shines through in all of the roles she plays, despite the fact that the shots are taken from varying stories, which serves as the main thread of continuity.

The story within a story structure gives an added depth to the film. Each of the short film snippets is more or less complete in itself, but taken together, it tells more than just the actress’ life story; it tells an underlying story of life and love that transcends everything that the senses can feel.

Millennium Actress is a must-see film for people who love heartwarming slice-of-life stories. The animation and the storytelling are epic and powerful, and will leave a lingering sense of nostalgia in your hearts and a smile in your thoughts.