Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat In Space

  • Cat gettting a tattoo
  • Cat walking in spaceship hall
  • Injured cat in bed spied by robot cat
  • Cat in space taken away by death
  • Spaceship lands in the city

Arguably the only anime ever made inspired by both Hello Kitty and Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, TAMALA 2010 is a futuristic techno fever dream that flows back and forth in time. A heady, conceptual work of psychedelic sci-fi, influenced by the style of classic manga and anime such as Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy and Takashi Murakami’s postmodern art movement Superflat, TAMALA 2010 is also a savage take on modern consumer culture. A cerebral and existential story about a kitten from the Planet of Cats who sets out to solve the mystery of her birth.

Written, directed and composed by the two-person team of t.o.L. – their incredibly addictive electronica / space-lounge score is worth the price of admission alone – TAMALA 2010 is equal parts Philip K. Dick, METROPOLIS and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (with a few sly nods to THE SHINING thrown in for good measure.) Newly restored.

Part of On the edge of Reality: A Liminal Cinema Series

Runtime
1h 32m
Year
2002
Director
T.o.L.
Format
DCP
Country
Japan
Language
Japanese with English subtitles
First Showing
December 29, 2024