Suzume (2022)

[すずめの戸締まり]

Director: Makoto Shinkai
Starring: Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu

Synopsis:
A girl unwittingly opens up a portal to another dimension that threatens Japan with disaster unless she can restore the seal.

Impressions:
This one almost slipped under my radar, but one of my students mentioned going to see it and I saw that it was Makoto Shinkai's latest work, which was incentive enough for me to make a trip to the theater. Shinkai's taste for magical realism is on display here, tying in the Japanese folklore belief that earthworms cause earthquakes to the eldritch horror unleashed. Now, using a magical realist explanation for real-life disasters such as the Great Touhoku Earthquake can be seen as being in poor taste, which I feel might impact the film's reception. If that's not a dealbreaker for you, you're in for a nice cross-country adventure of self-discovery with an enjoyable protagonist and her magic chair. The production values are amazing and I'm sorely tempted to recreate the film's road trip. With my caveat about the subject matter in mind, I enthusiastically recommend this for a space in your collection.

Rating:
Own It