“Pompo the Cinephile”: a favorite for this funny cinema lesson

If the temple of cinema were not in Los Angeles but in Tokyo, it would be called Nyallywood. This is what the animated film “Pompo the Cinephile” imagines, in theaters this Wednesday, July 3, transposing all the issues, springs and practices of the Hollywood industry to the Land of the Rising Sun, with however Japanese specificities. And here, the queen of this big machine is called Pompo, producer – and herself the daughter of a formerly adored producer – of mainstream action films that are box office hits.

Except that little Pompo, who has become a master in the art of producing blockbusters with sharks, fights and sexy girls in swimsuits played by local superstars, is a real cinema enthusiast, and dreams of launching an art-house film at the same time. Her meeting with Gene, a melancholic and anxious set assistant, whom she considers gifted, will give her the opportunity to put on track, in his company, the production of a more cutting-edge feature film, which will mark the beginning of a great adventure…

Absolutely mind-boggling, “Pompo the cinephile” succeeds in the feat, in 1h34, of telling the dream of every cinema enthusiast and all those who work in the field: directors, actors, technicians, directors of photography, producers, funders, historians, critics… This cinema lesson covers the making of a film from its genesis to its theatrical release, including all its stages: writing, preparation, casting, filming, editing, filming of additional scenes… Even the financing of a feature film is covered in detail, as are the inspirations during the creative phases, where a scene from everyday life can generate the key sequence of a future fiction.

Incredible sequences and graphic brilliance

All the drama, humor and graphic tics of this golden age of Japanese animation serve as decorum and backdrop to the film. Thus, Pompo is a restless little girl who seems to have come straight out of “Gigi” (1982), Gene looks like one of the heroes of “Dragon Ball” (1986), other characters could have been drawn by the creators of “Princess Sarah” (1985) or “Knights of the Zodiac” (1986).

This is very welcome for young viewers, who will discover, through a graphic line that will necessarily speak to them, the springs of the industry and cinematographic creation throughout a story full of suspense and really very funny. A humor on several levels, with lines and situations clearly intended for adults who, themselves, will appreciate another visual effort that makes all the salt of the film.

Because far from being content to copy the spirit of the 1980s, director Takayuki Hirao boosts it, for the duration of incredible sequences, of hypermodern graphic flashes. As in this scene where Gene, in the torture of a trying montage, begins to cut his rushes with giant scissors on a black background, an electrifying dreamlike tableau driven by the love of cinema, constantly present in this amazing, hilarious and instructive film, visible at any age.