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The Dreamscapes of Kon Satoshi

Few could be compared with Kon Satoshi (1963-2010), who leaves such an indelible impact on the art of cinema with only four feature films and an animated series under his belt – less is more comes to define the genius of the visionary Japanese director, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2010 at the age of 46. In addition to the influence of his films on Japanese animators who came after him, traces of Kon’s creative impact can be seen in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream (2000) and Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010), among others.

Citing science fiction as his favourite genre, Kon’s films go beyond pure imaginative and futuristic reverie, excelling at exploring the blurred lines between reality and fantasy as well as the public and the private. Kon recognised that nothing is more terrifying than actions that stem from a person’s anxieties and insecurities, making them the root of the horrors in his films. Perfect Blue (1997) delves into the psychological toll of physical and mental violence on a pop idolturned- actress; Paranoia Agent (2004) shows the ripple effect that a single act of violence can have on a community; Paprika (2006) depicts traumas and fears manifesting in dreams.

Though constrained by relatively low budgets, Kon’s films that brimmed with imagination and artistry have proven that creativity knows no bounds. In whimsical flights of imagery that obfuscate the real and the unreal of cinema, Millennium Actress (2001) took full advantage of ways that animation could subvert traditional storytelling; while in stunning yet dizzying visuals, Tokyo Godfathers (2003) delivers a twist-filled Christmas fable that finds magic in a cruel and sometimes violent reality. Kon unremittingly subverted expectations and broke through genre constraints, making him an inimitable genius of his craft. Through this retrospective, and Pascal-Alex Vincent’s documentary Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist (p.10), in remembrance of the 10th anniversary of his untimely passing, fans can revisit his timeless classics and his spirit of perfectionism.