Get Your Reps In: “Black Swan” Fans Need to See “Perfect Blue”

Perfect Blue (1997)

When pop star Mima decides to focus on acting, she’s stalked by an obsessed fan. Then bodies start piling up and her grip on reality loosens. Is she the one committing these murders? That fear is the soul of the late Satoshi Kon’s twisty anime thriller, which is a prescient masterpiece (the film is a must-see for fans of 2010′s similarly themed Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky). Cinemagic, Aug. 31.

Wanda (1970)

With her debut film, Barbara Loden became the first woman in cinema history to direct, write and star in her own feature. Playing the titular role of Wanda, Loden crafts a heartbreaking character study of an aimless antiheroine who, after being fired from her low-paying job in a sewing factory, inadvertently goes on the run with a hapless bank robber. Hollywood, Aug. 31.

Mind Game (2004)

With Masaaki Yuasa’s new film Inu-Oh freshly released, catch up with the filmmaker’s definitive anime, which follows a 20-year-old slacker whose fatal encounter with two yakuza sends him on a psychedelic journey of self-discovery (along with his childhood crush). You’ve never seen a movie like this one, which merges the real and the surreal using several disparate animation styles. Cinemagic, Sept. 1.

The Three Colors Trilogy (1994)

Polish auteur Krzysztof Kieślowski’s melancholic trilogy exploring the French values of liberty, equality and fraternity recently received a well-deserved 4K restoration—and Cinema 21 is screening all three entries (Blue, White and Red, the colors of the French flag) together. Juliette Binoche, Julie Delpy and Irène Jacob are the respective stars of the three films. Cinema 21, Sept. 2-6 (White and Red through Sept. 8).

Donnie Darko (2001)

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as in Richard Kelly’s cult phenomenon as Donnie, perhaps the most iconic emo teen in film history. Depressed and troubled “Mad World” style (all around him are familiar faces, worn-out places, worn-out faces), Donnie has visions of a man named Frank in a grotesque bunny suit who tells him the world will end in 28 days. Clinton, Sept. 3.

ALSO PLAYING:

Academy: Conan the Barbarian (1982), Aug. 31-Sept. 1. Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984), Aug. 31-Sept. 1. Cinema 21: Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Sept. 2-7. Clinton: Palestinian Resistance Cinema, Aug. 31. Hollywood: Stand By Me (1986), Sept. 2. Election (1999), Sept. 3. The Blob (1958), Sept. 3-4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Sept. 4. Bottle Rocket (1996), Sept. 5. White Fire (1984), Sept. 6.