'Suzume' Movie Review: An emotional roller coaster ride

Suzume

Film: Suzume
Cast: Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Rating: 3/ 5

A thought-provoking anime action-adventure cum road movie centered around a 17-year-old orphan girl, Suzume, who helps a mysterious young man, Souta( who has been hexed into a chair), close doors from the other side (metaphysical) that are releasing disasters all over Japan.

After following a young man to the ruins near her town, Suzume accidentally awakens a demon/giant worm that protected Japan from an evil that creates earthquakes. Suzune's journey is emblematic of the wondrous country whose resilience despite a plethora of natural disasters plaguing it, is definitive of the courage, perseverance, and work ethic of a people who never give up. The road trip has Suzume meeting people of all ilk and seeing more of Japan. The narrative is further enriched by magic and fantasy.

This is a poignant human story. Suzume, who has experienced a heartfelt tragedy of her own wants to prevent them with a missionary zeal. She understands pain, loss, and sorrow and knowing such, wants to prevent others from being plagued by it. Alongside Souta's comical transformation, this aspect of the story also adds urgency to the action.

The animation in Suzume is outstanding. Shinkai mixes traditional anime style with CGI in a sophisticated mash-up that lends visual credibility and suspense to the action sequences. Shinkai combines ingenious ideas with bold visuals underlined by edge-of-the-seat tension to make this an enthralling experience. The humor also adds greater weight to the story-telling craft, lending a balance that becomes more and more appreciable as the nuts and bolts of the story come together. Makoto Shinkai is certainly among the best anime filmmakers in the world. His use of music and sound to augment the character arcs is creditable. All his anime frames are significantly detailed and visually eye-pleasing. This is a film that is more than likely to stir up emotions unexpectedly while it explores themes of grief and healing aided by nature's infinite and unbridled bounty.