231. Suzume; movie review

 

SUZUME

Cert PG

122 mins

BBFC advice: Contains mild threat, bloody images, language, upsetting scenes, sex references

Any readers will know that I am a sucker for Japanese anime and, given its acclaim, I was particularly looking forward to Suzume.

Dare I say, therefore, that I was a little disappointed because its fantasy was a tad difficult to follow and very far-fetched.

I gather from an interview with director Makoto Shinkai that it was derived from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011.

And it has also been pointed towards youngsters who cannot remember it.

Nanoka Hara voices the title character, a schoolgirl drawn to a mysterious stranger (Hokuto Matsumura) who has arrived in her town.

She follows him to an abandoned village and chances upon a door leading to a parallel world.

It transpires it is the stranger's job to prevent a giant worm that causes earthquakes from emerging through it.

Shinkai's movie follows the pair as they attempt to avert a disaster that would kill tens of thousands of people as a gentle love grows between them.

Family and the environment play significant parts as Suzume unfolds but it is also typical Japanese fantasy, throwing in heroics in the face of a people-killing monster.

It looks great, admirably develops Suzume's character and smartly evokes atmosphere but think I may need to see it again, to glean its full effect.

Reasons to watch: Beautiful anime 

Reasons to avoid: A bit too offbeat

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit:  None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? Makoto Shinkai’s works have been themed around natural disasters. Your Name is about a meteor explosion, Weathering with You is centred on flooding and now Suzume tackles earthquakes and tsunamis.

The final word. Makoto Shinkai: "It was important to me that Suzume be both serious and entertaining because I think a lot of younger moviegoers either haven’t experienced this incident from 12 years ago — this massive disaster — directly, or even if they did, they were so young that they probably don’t recall it at all. Without [Suzume] being a spectacle, I don’t think people would have even been open to seeing it." The Verge

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