•
Rating:
True training takes a long time, an ambitious film requires patience. Like the irritable Kumatetsu with the little Kyuta, the good Hosoda doesn't particularly treat his viewer well, he demands a lot, putting a lot of hay in the barn with slow wisdom, accumulating, layering topics and ideas, almost risking confusing and dispersing them. Then, like in an epiphany, you realize that all the threads of the discourse intertwine perfectly and repay the efforts of patience and waiting with an epic burst of great power.
The topics touch on those already caressed in Wolf Children, but with a different approach, less delicate, focused more on the ability and willingness to be determined in life, to know what you want to do with your time. With the characters, their voids, their internal craters, are also built, and then they are given hope for personal affirmation, all to be verified "in the field." The protagonist, Ren/Kyuta, is torn between the world of humans, with its lacerations, and that of beasts, difficult but more harmonious, with very precise value scales and a linear, hierarchical mythology. But the call to his true nature is irresistible, and at the same time brings dangers, because men cultivate darkness in their hearts.
In short, classic themes, but appreciable for the austerity of their scenic representation, which really concedes nothing to the consoling side. In the final part, the riddle unravels with a beautiful interpretation of the master - student relationship and a reflection on the necessity of truth in the growth path of a wounded child. And in the hyperboles of tension, one finds all the fertility of the previous narrative, hard, harsh, but rich in decisive nuances, which are only appreciated later by those watching the film.
Fear, but also human rationality; strength, but also the limits of the animal kingdom. All these dichotomies merge into an epic-magical vision that rebalances everything, while simultaneously celebrating the importance and necessity of sacrifice for the survival of both worlds. Indeed, sacrifice is almost a sweet nectar that repays the harshness of life. All daily wounds take on their complete meaning only when one overcomes the obstacle of one's selfishness, accepting to "annihilate oneself" to live more fully in the other.
A work perhaps less beautiful to see than others by the master, which tickled the aesthetic taste more. There are still some beautiful long shots, and certainly, the characters, especially the beastly ones, are drawn with a very happy hand. But that total allure of watching is missing, perhaps precisely because it is a story of difficult growth, of discomfort, of the impossibility of finding a place to truly belong to. And therefore the scenarios are often hostile, for Ren/Kyuta. They dissolve into wonderful sunsets only when the boy has found his dimension.
The characters have the same slow evolution as the film, but equally they repay the patience. Each finds its space, each has its meaning in the overall reflection. Which, needless to say, is particularly apt in this historical moment. In short, parents and children, but also educators and teachers, pupils and students, might learn something from this film.
7/10
Loading comments slowly
