Shadow Reviews #16: Mirai (2018)

Instructions

My Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to cry. I read the back of the DVD, and the concept sounded so emotional, so nostalgic, so dreamlike that I knew it was going to provoke a response out of me. I swore I wasn’t. Then we got about halfway through the movie, and I had to actually fight to hold in those tears. But I swore not to cry. I swore it. After we finished the film, I hid myself in the bathroom to cry. By then, the tears never came. My God. When a movie does that to you, you know it’s good. So, obviously that seems like a lot of hype, but Mirai is a masterpiece anime film, and definitely one of my favorite animated movies now. I’ve never watched too many anime films to be honest, and its cinema like this that makes me want to explore more Japanese movies. It is a roller coaster of emotions; however, be warned, it may or may not have the same effect on you, depending on your childhood. This is a movie that depends on YOUR experiences to generate its impact – it draws upon your memory to make you understand your future. First of all, I watched the English dub and even though I have no idea who these actors are, they did fantastic. In fact, these characters are so realistic, so human, they act just like real people. Too often, a movie will sacrifice realistic portrayals of people in favor a dramatic theme – and while we like to go to movie to escape real life, this is a film that portrays it as it is and then juxtaposes real life with a wild imagination. Kun acts just like I was as a kid – a brat that had very real tantrums, a brat that was picky, a brat that had to learn to accept his little sister. This especially compelled me because I was also 4 years old when my sister was born. It was like watching my old self on screen and that brought me back so many memories… In fact, Mirai is a perfect – and potentially one of the only – animated example of a film that accurately captures a 4-year-old point of view. Films either dumb things down for the kids or look at innocence from a cynical adult point of view; this is a movie that TRULY appeals to all ages – and not in the way that it’s made only for children. Too many “all ages” films are made simply with children in mind, which leaves the rest of us chuckling in amusement but not really learning anything. By extending itself to the PG realm, Mirai captures a childhood dazzlingly. Indeed, as I saw this as an accurate portrayal of child tantrums, the violence and emotional damage of a 4-year-old is something the rest of us would say is not suitable in terms of content ratings for that very age. Isn’t that a strange manmade paradox? Granted, the plot was divided into subsections of separately resolved issues – learning to ride a bike or learning to accept available clothing. But they all climax to the issue of Kun accepting Mirai as his little sister. And it was genius to have the older Mirai guide him to this acceptance. In each little “flashback” – where Kun somehow transcends time, even into the mid-20th century – Kun makes a change in a life, whether good or bad, and then makes a change in his own. There are beautiful foundational moments of trauma and lessons shown throughout the film; in fact, these are the moments that make Kun – and by extension, his family – who he is, and what the movie is too. It is a collection of harmful or helpful instances that create the individual memory. The climax was especially metaphorical and the slow descent into a nightmare was genuinely terrifying. They actually got me with that one jumpscare – even though I was expecting it. So many of these moments were experiences I also had, and you may have experienced too – harming a sibling, getting hurt on a bike, being picky with clothes, not picking up toys, etc. Very childish concepts when written on paper, but Mirai illustrates them in a light that makes you revisit those memories through a child’s eyes – although it will remind you how you became the person you are now. Kun’s imagination regarding his mother’s angry face – that was something I believed my own mother looked like when she was angry. And I think that’s what made me want to cry – it was realizing the choices I made that led me to who I am and the regret and longing I have to redo a less-than-perfect childhood. But I digress, I guess. Anyway, the animation was superb as well. And I don’t mean that lightly. It is a beautifully told story, with several breathtaking and painstaking moments drawn. For 90 minutes, imagination is brought back to life and the images just flood the screen amazingly. I can’t really find any other words to describe it except that you must see it to believe it. (read in the notes and credits for the rest of the review) What I watched it on: DVD Other critics: Rotten Tomatoes: 91% Metacritic: 81, "universal acclaim"