Simms - Who is Mima?

Perfect Blue

The objectification of women in the media is clearly shown in Perfect Blue. It seemed as if the men in Mima’s life were the ones that were contributing to her worth. No one took the time to ask her about the situations that she was being put in, and that caused her to go along with what she felt obligated to do for her acting career. Even Mima’s fans seemed to care more about her body and their image of her than they did about her as an individual. The producers of the show and the photographer for the magazine she was in seemed to be focused more about displaying her sexuality and the rape scene and the nude photo shoot were two things that Mima did not seem to want to be a part of. However, Mima once again puts the demands of others over what she really wants. Everyone in the movie (including her stalker, manger, and assistant) seem to have more say in her life than she does. In the end, she was becoming a puppet that others were manipulating.

That also brings up the idea of an unstable identity. I felt as if Mima’s sense of self was dependent upon those around her. Rumi’s actions, like starting the “real Mima” website, confused Mima and made her question whether she could trust her own memories. Even the acting she was doing in the movie made the line between herself and the character she was playing blur. Mima was giving up so much of herself that when she tried to stop and think about who she really was, she could only depend upon who she was in relation to those around her.

I thought that there were many similarities between Black Swan and Perfect Blue. Both movies had characters that had an onset of schizophrenia in response to the stress that they were feeling from their respective careers. I think that both characters felt very alone in their struggles because when they tried to tell someone what they were going through they were quickly dismissed. However, I don’t think that Mima let her career consume her as much as the lead in Black Swan did.