OVERLAY REPORT

In Satoshi Kon’s *Millennium Actress* (2001), the connections between the main characters are revealed through a narrative that blurs the line between the present day, personal memory, and cinematic history. The characters know each other through the following specific connections: ### 1. Chiyoko Fujiwara and Genya Tachibana In the film's "present day" (late 1990s/early 2000s), Genya is a documentary filmmaker who has tracked down the reclusive Chiyoko to interview her about the history of Ginei Studios. However, they have a significant shared history from decades earlier: * **Professional Connection:** During the peak of Chiyoko’s career in the post-WWII era, Genya worked as a **lowly production assistant** at the same film studio (Ginei Studios). While Chiyoko was a massive star, Genya was a "nobody" on the crew who admired her from afar. * **The Life-Saving Incident:** Their most pivotal connection occurred during the filming of Chiyoko's final science-fiction movie. A massive earthquake struck the set, causing lighting rigs and debris to collapse. **Genya saved Chiyoko’s life** by shielding her from the falling equipment. * **The Key:** In the chaos of that same earthquake, Chiyoko lost her most prized possession—a small key given to her by a mysterious painter. Genya found the key on the floor of the studio after she fled the set in distress. He kept it for over 30 years and returns it to her at the start of the film, which serves as the catalyst for her telling her life story. ### 2. Chiyoko Fujiwara and the "Man of the Key" The "Man of the Key" is the central figure of Chiyoko's life, though they only met once in person. * **The First Meeting:** When Chiyoko was a young schoolgirl in the 1930s, she encountered a wounded artist and political dissident fleeing from the "Scar-faced Man" (the secret police). She hid him in her family’s storehouse. * **The Promise:** Before fleeing to Manchuria, the man gave Chiyoko the **key to his suitcase/sketchbook**, promising that they would meet again and he would show her "the most important thing" it opened. Chiyoko spent her entire acting career pursuing him, taking roles in films set in Manchuria and other locations in the hope that he would see her on screen and find her. ### 3. Kyoji Ida (The Cameraman) Kyoji serves as the audience surrogate and has **no prior connection** to Chiyoko. * **Role:** He is Genya’s younger, cynical cameraman. He is only there for the job and is frequently baffled by Genya’s obsession with Chiyoko. * **Dynamics:** As Chiyoko tells her story, Kyoji and Genya are "pulled into" her memories and film roles. While Genya enthusiastically takes on the role of Chiyoko’s protector in these visions (reflecting his real-life history of saving her), Kyoji remains a detached observer, often complaining about the surreal nature of their "documentary." ### 4. Supporting Rivals * **Eiko Shimao:** A rival actress at Ginei Studios who knew Chiyoko from their early days in Manchuria. Driven by jealousy over Chiyoko’s youth and talent, Eiko orchestrated the theft of Chiyoko's key (through a bribed fortune teller) to stall her search for the artist. * **Junichi Otaki:** The director’s son and later a director himself. He knew Chiyoko through the studio and eventually married her by manipulating her after the loss of her key, though she never truly loved him.