Belladonna of Sadness

What starts off as erotic hallucinatory psychedelia ends with a powerful message about female solidarity...beneath all the horror, the torture, and the violence, you’ll find a cry for revolt against various forms of inhumanity.

Carefully constructed and a little sloppy, alluring and disturbing, this gem deserves a trigger warning, but also a chance.

The artwork is achingly delicate, but there's nothing subtle about Belladonna of Sadness.

Still, there's an undeniable genius at work here, strong enough to survive the psychedelic sleaze that's been baked into every frame.

It's a classic tale of temptation and tragedy, of innocence lost and evil triumphant.

The paintings simply aren't strong enough to hold the audience's attention and carry the story.

A museum's picture in movement. A stimulant revisit to the legend Joan of Arc. About womanhood empowerment [Full review in Spanish]

Belladonna of Sadness is a landmark in the history of animation, both Japanese and international, and both due to its style and its radical content,

It's a story worth at least one watch even if these aspects are not for you as the trippy watercolor animation should keep anyone's attention.

It hits hard, and it keeps hitting, and even the moments that are narratively light are still heavy with the foggy dream-like quality of the artwork.