“Pompo The Cinephile”, a Japanese animation about the behind the scenes of cinema: fun and original

Takayuki Hirao’s second film focuses on the relationship between a star producer who is questioning herself and her director friend who only hoped to film for her.

Like many “anime” (Japanese animated films), if the world of Pompo The Cinephile is juvenile, its subject is, itself, very adult. Pompo, a B-movie star, launches into the production of an auteur film, the direction of which she entrusts to her assistant, Gene. This consecration does not prevent the latter from being full of doubts, but their friendship and trust will revive their bonds.

Entertaining and realistic about making a film, Pompo The Cinephile hits theaters Wednesday, July 3.

In this fictional Japan, Hollywood has its equivalent: Nyallywood. Pompo is the star of low-budget commercial productions. Tired of these films lacking in brainpower, she wants to move on to arthouse films and to do so hires Gene, her assistant for years, who will thus be able to shoot his first film. An unknown actress and a veteran of the cinema join them. A king of resourcefulness, but a little depressed, Gene starts editing his 72 hours of rushes to deliver on time a film of one and a half hours that holds up.

Few animated films have the making of a feature film as their subject. Pompo The Cinephile stands out from the crowd if only from this point of view. Realistic, the film shows that its implementation and construction are an obstacle course. And it focuses more particularly on editing, because all filmmakers say it, this is where a work is truly born.

Pompo, all Venetian blond hair, in crinolines and wide-brimmed hats, accompanied by Gene, who always has something to do for the night before, are immersed in the world of cinema. The subject is skimmed over (the film is appreciated from 10 years old), but the evocation of this world always has something magical, as if we were passing through the looking glass. If the novel is sentimental, this context adds a touch of magic, exoticism and curiosity that enhance it.

Pompo The Cinephile ticks all the boxes of its ambitions: good subject, endearing characters and rhythmic action. The graphics hardly deviate from manga standards, but isn’t that also why we came? The comic strip from which the anime is taken is unpublished in France, and the release of its adaptation is all the more justified. A nice surprise, original and catchy, as is often the case with Japanese animation.



Gender : Animation
Directors: Takayuki Hirao
Country : Japan
Duration : 1h34
Exit : Wednesday July 3 2024
Distributer : Art House
Synopsis: Welcome to Nyallywood, the Mecca of cinema where Pompo is the queen of successful commercial films. The day she decides to produce a more personal auteur film, she entrusts the production to her assistant Gene. Will he, who secretly dreamed of it, be up to the task?