Yidan Sun

I absolutely adore this movie. The plot and storyline are relatively simple yet entertaining and they perfectly capture the awkwardness of adolescence and the complexities of relationships. The romance was refreshing and awkward and sweet. The soundtrack was perfectly suited for this movie as well. I absolutely loved how the song "country road" was sung during the opening ad reimagined throughout the movie. It struck a chord deep within me and made me feel the nostalgia that I'd never felt with any other ghibli movie. This is a movie portraying adolescence, the trials and tribulations that come with it, the fear of the unknown and not being good enough and the desire to overcome it. I could never truly relate to, on a practical scale, any other ghibli protagonist but I could see myself and bits of the people around me in the characters of this movie. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone and everyone.

I absolutely loved this film. Especially the interactions inside the house with Jake's parents and the car scene where the snow was falling outside and the camera stayed on the two characters' faces. There was something unsettling in both those situations. The parents' exaggerated features and an underlying tension that was always present. I loved the visuals as well as and the repeated thought of "I'm thinking of ending thing" and how it is always interrupted with a line from Jake. I'm also a fan of the little hints dropped through the movie about how Lucy is actually, not a living breathing human, but a figment of Jake's imagination, and the slow and dreadful realization that she comes to have. I could see how some people thought it was confusing and boring because this movie requires you to think. If you were to turn off brain or wish for an easy conclusion to the plot threads, you might not catch the small hints and nuances of this film. I would not recommend this film for everybody, but it is certainly one of my favorites.