“Pompo is a talented and gutsy producer in “Nyallywood,” the movie-making capital of the world. Although she’s known for B-movies, one day Pompo tells her movie-loving but apprehensive assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about a tormented artistic genius, starring the legendary and Brando-esque actor Martin Braddock, and a young actress seeking her first break. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo’s challenge, and succeed as a first-time director?”
Pompo the Cinephile should be an inspiration to all filmmakers and overall storytellers. This movie does a great job showing the ins and outs of being a producer, director, and actor. Not just the good qualities of those jobs, but also the stressful moments. Pompo the Cinephile reminds me of other great films and anime because of the content it focuses on and how he treats it with nothing but respect. Like Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, where Masaaki Yuasa focuses on the process of animation and the production of animation, or My Dress-up Darling, where Keisuke Shinohara and Yoriko Tomita focus on Cosplay and how much time and dedication it takes to prepare.
This is why I respect Takayuki Hirao for Pompo the Cinephile. Hirao gives us the stress of editing and directing, but also gives us the reactions when they succeed. There is a moment where Gene gives an electric reaction because he recognizes the emotional impact of the scene that he shot. Most of us have had that “this is the one” feeling, especially after a bunch of failures or moments were we felt stuck. It’s the realism that Hirao dives into; that is what makes this story amazing.
With that said, its not the only reason why Pompo the Cinephile is so great. The way everything is perfectly planned is wonderful. The way Gene is inspired by the character in his film is the same way Hirao was inspired by Gene in this film. You can tell that Hirao gave it his all for this movie and even in interviews you can tell the love and a sense of perfectionism that went into it, especially with the time stamp. Making it an even ninety-minute long movie. I would imagine that Hirao mindset was, “How could I make the audience a fly on the wall?” because that is how I felt while watching this film (A Fly on the Wall).
Sometimes I am not a fan of directors tacking creative liberties on an already established material. In this case, though, the original character, Alan, in the film is just as necessary and important as the main characters. And once again it’s the exact situation. Gene wanting to include something that wasn’t originally in the script, but felt like it was necessary enough to make the movie have that extra emotion. Just like Hirao wanting to add an extra subplot to make the movie have that extra emotion. I swear Gene is Takayuki Hirao and Pompo is Shogo Sugitani.
The character are all well designed from an artist standpoint and as writers point of view. Each character has their own type of energy to them and the way they are drawn reflect that. Shango Adachi did a great job giving the unique looks, Gene being unimpressed with life is perceived as such, but also has this sense of joy for film and the unimaginable. Gene is basically the definition of “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Pompo, like Gene, loves movies, but also enjoys and understand life. More so than Gene which is why she is drawn more lively than he. With that said, we have never seen her at home representing how much she is devoted to her work. Unlike the other characters like Natalie and Mystia where we see their daily lives. They feel like they belong in a slice of life anime which represents them well.
Overall this is a movie I have to suggest to everyone! Pompo the Cinephile is a beautiful film the gives love to cinema the way it deserves – filled with creative characters that celebrate all of their uniqueness along with a digestible runtime. To be honest, I would put this film with some of the greats like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Spirited Away. Each of these films have their own way of being great, but the one thing that these films share is the respect and understanding what anime films should be, which is just a great story.
Pompo The Cinephile is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of GKIDS.
