Harbour Highlights: Perfect Blue

“There is no way illusions can come to life”

Welcome to Harbour Highlights, a series of cult and classic films, all handpicked by the Harbour Lights staff.

For October, Kieran brings us the first animated film in the strand - Satoshi Kon’s cult psychological horror,

Perfect Blue. Released in 1997, the film follows an ex-singer as she begins a new acting career.

However, her life and sanity begin to unravel when an obsessed fan begins to stalk her and a series of gruesome murders lead her to lose her grip on reality.

A stylised and nerve-wracking experience, Perfect Blue has not only been dubbed one of the greatest anime films of all-time but, according to a 2022 Indiewire poll, one of the greatest movies of the 90s.

Originally destined to be a niche direct-to-video film, it’s gone on to be one of the touchstones of its genre with an influential legacy that can be seen in mainstream films such as 2010s Black Swan.

It’s a singular experience – and one best watched in a dark cinema on a big screen.