Based in the fictional version of Hollywood known as Nyallywood; Gene Fini, a young aspiring filmmaker who has dedicated his life to movies works as an assistant to B-Movie producer Joelle D. Pomponette (affectionately known as “Pompo”), a girl who inherited an empire in the world of film. When Pompo writes a script and gives Gene his first director role – coupled with working with two leads, one a legendary actor named Martin Braddock and the other, a newbie called Natalie Woodward, Gene realises his ultimate dream along with all the trials and tribulations that filmmakers must overcome during production in Pompo: The Cinéphile.
Adapted from an ongoing manga of the same name, this film is truly something that film fans and filmmakers alike can enjoy and relate to. Gene is a shy, isolated individual that feels his most powerful when surrounded by the creative output of the world of film, Pompo herself wants to discover a film that is truly for her and young Natalie is struggling to find her feet in the land of the silver screen. No matter what angle you see films from, there is something for everyone to enjoy. The story itself, albeit with a fair few cliches and nods to social commentary on the state of the film industry including wilting attention spans from viewers, has a lot of heart and instils a lot of hope for those watching that may be grappling with the future and dreams. One note that Pompo brings to the forefront is that people don’t like long films anymore and anything over 90-minutes will lose people – quite apt that this particular love letter to filmmaking comes in at just over that exact runtime with credits.
The animation is particularly beautiful, boasting stunning transitions between times and scenes and the passage of portrayal between the scenes of the in-universe film and the narrative are very pleasing to the eye. This all integrated with a subtle yet pleasant score make Pompo: The Cinéphile a truly entertaining yet rose-tinted look into the world of filmmaking.
Although there are cliches aplenty scattered throughout the lean 90-ish-minute runtime, Pompo: The Cinéphile is the latest anime film that holds a strong message of believing in your dreams no matter the sacrifices that you may have to make along the way.
Pompo: The Cinéphile is released in UK Cinemas on the 29th June 2022.
