I have no idea what makes an anime feature film good or bad because I was never an animephile. The genre classics Flying Phantom Ship and Akira are practically my only criteria to go off, and as much as I liked the films’ stories when I was a kid, they did leave a lasting impact on my understanding of the genre with a conclusion that the style of animation there is just a very limited one, and it bores me with its symbol and expression rules no matter how interesting the underlying story is. I appreciate that to true fans and artists this may seem like an outrageous statement, so I apologize if this angers someone, and I hope we can just agree that it is all a matter of taste and by no means an issue of apocalyptic proportions. All that said though I thought I’d write something here about a film that apparently had been nominated for Annie award as the best independent anime feature of 2021. The reason for this post is the theme Pompo: The Cinéphile deals with, namely – filmmaking.

Apparently Pompo: The Cinéphile started as a manga series five years ago. This would explain why I’ve never heard of it before because I have zero interest in manga. Why I think I should’ve heard about this anime feature, released in Japan a year ago after at least a couple of delays, and in North America and UK this year, is because the film is like a crash course in motion picture production; created as an artistic perspective on the subject matter of creating a film. All the more because this particular theme is one cinematic works deal with on rare occasions (examples: Seed of Chucky, Wes Craven's New Nightmare), and usually it doesn’t make for the main storyline. Therefore reading the synopsis for Pompo instantly got me intrigued.

As far as the story goes, I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, it even delivered more than I expected. This sort of thing doesn’t happen all that often with movies, latest example being Elvis, where the explanation for the status of King of Rock and Roll I got was my own subjective impression of the title having to do much with the artist’s race being coupled with a manager, who happened to have some important, even if sometimes shadowy, connections. In fact, I’m not even sure if the title King is being mentioned in this latest Presley biopic, which, in my opinion, isn’t Baz Luhrmann’s finest work. So when I say that after watching a film I feel like I’ve come out of the auditorium with more than I expected, it really is an occasion worth at least a small celebration.

There are two lead characters in Pompo: The Cinéphile: producer Pompo (or Joelle Davidovich "Pompo" Pomponett) and director Gene Fini. Gene is a first-time director, and it is him who has to go through the trials and tribulations of lead protagonist: understanding stakes and making choices when faced with dilemmas. As a movie director he has everything imaginable on his plate: working with actors and actresses outdoors during not so great weather conditions; overseeing the crew’s work; spending hours and hours at the editing equipment. This takes a toll on him. Luckily, Pomponett is a character who is always there, prepared to go an extra mile to make the project they both with Gene are working on a success.

There is quite a clear screenplay’s structure in Pompo: Act 1 – pre-production, Act 2 – production, Act 3 – post-production and then: the Grand happy end Finale. The understanding and truths about cinema, its purpose and meaning are also quite clear; at least, that is the case with Pomponett. At first this part of the whole story left an impression as if Pompo’s writer Takayuki Hirao was imposing his views on the audience, but on the second thought it was obvious that Pomponett as a producer had to know what she expects from the project, and the audience wasn’t supposed to agree with her about everything. In fact, now, while writing this review, I realize that the real value of subject matters regarding creativity, beliefs and expectations in Pompo: The Cinéphile would be in the arguments one would use to debate Pomponett. Not that anyone wanting a successfully completed project would start an argument with a producer when there’s already a finalized script and production is in progress full throttle; it’s all about finding your own truth while watching this anime feature. The fact that Pomponett is like that magical redhead faery who is wise, knowing the right tip at any given moment and making everyone’s wishes come true also helps in the truth searching because, I think, part of that filmmaker’s truth is in the understanding that one has to have the producer who, besides being on the same wavelength with you, can be a patron with not only the right knowledge and advice whenever there is a need for such things, but also ensures there is everything available in the material sense so that the project ends up a success. Pompo makes for a brilliant example to that, and a catalyst to search and find your filmmaker’s voice – that kind of muse and faery who’d everyone in the team would be celebrating, cheering and toasting to with praises like "oh, our dear precious fae, you are the best we have ever wished for! Here's to ever greater fresh lunacy that brings us to new heights together!" after awards ceremony.

Pompo: The Cinéphile is now available on a number of digital streaming platforms as well as a Blu-ray Disc/DVD combo.

Peer Ynt

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