Nitin Singh

Suzume Review. Released: 14th April 2023 (UK) Certificate: PG Director: Makoto Shinkai I was recommended this film by my good friend Richard Greenway after saying “This film is best film he seen so far this year”. Today was his second viewing of the film where I tagged along to watch it. I gotta say I absolutely loved it! This is the second film I’ve seen directed by Makoto Shinkai, where back in the year of 2020 they showed Weathering with You at Vue cinema that turned to be amazing. You can tell he’s very influenced by Hayao Miyazaki’s work and according to IMDB his favourite film is Laputa: Castle in the Sky, which is amazing too. Both of his films have been critical and commercial successes, with each being among the highest-grossing Japanese films of all time. Suzume is ranked number 14 on the list under Ponyo, Avatar and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Like his previous film the animation draws you in with the fast moving beautiful visuals with it’s bright vivid artwork that makes it pure escapism into the cinema screen. It maybe a slow burner to some but I like that though because it gives you time to appreciate the art direction. The plot itself is a very sweet heartfelt coming-of-age story about dealing with responsibilities, independence, love at first sight and growing pains in life. For some it may draw a tear from time to time because of invested you get into main character development throughout the film. Don’t worry there are scenes that come across very quirky and great fun at times. What sells it most to me is the theme music and soundtrack that suits the style the film is going for. Fans of Studio Ghibli like myself will absolutely love this beautiful masterpiece. Try and catch it before it leaves cinemas because it’s definitely worth the cinema experience.