Suzume takes viewers on a magical and emotional journey. It might be a bit too long, but is still leaves the audience with a powerful message.
The latest Makoto Shinkai film, Suzume, takes viewers on quite the journey. This movie is filled with love, emotion, and magic, as well as powerful messages about human connection. When young Suzume meets a handsome stranger, she discovers that there is a whole new world beyond ours. Souta is a closer — someone who must close the doors to this place, called the Ever After, before the evil that lives there can escape.
Suzume ends up entangled with him, and his journey, when he is trapped inside of her childhood chair. Yes, I know how weird this sounds but it actually works within the film. This chair has a very special place in her heart because it has a connection to her late mother. Her Aunt is now her guardian, and has been since she was a very young girl. They butt heads quite a bit, however, just as many teen girls do with their parents.
A lot of the themes in Suzume are on the heavier side. It touches on death, grief, destruction, and devastation. The doors that lead to the Ever After are always found among ruins. They stand in places where whole cities were wiped out due to natural disasters.
The key to closing these doors is to honor and remember those who were lost. We see them in happier times and their souls are released. It is very deep and emotional, and could be hard for younger audiences.
There is also a joyful side to Suzume, however. The unlikely pair, well trio if you count the adorable yet terrifying cat named Daijin, go on a road trip of sorts to find these doors. There is another mission as well, however for fear of spoilers I won’t dive into it.
This aspect of the film is fun and entertaining. They form a bond with each other, but Suzume also starts to bond with those around her. She goes from town to town in order to find these open doors, and along the way makes friends. This is where the importance of human connection shines through. After all of spending far too much time in our homes in years of late, it is nice to see humans interacting and enjoying life together.
While there are certainly things to love about these interactions, the road trip aspect is where the most issues in the film stem from. We meet and fall in love with these characters, only for them to disappear and never be seen again. Breaking the movie up like this also causes it to drag at times, and will have viewers feeling that two hour runtime.
When it comes to the ending of Suzume, what happens is sure to be divisive among the audience. Not only is a little bit confusing, it is not all where those watching will expect things to go. There is a moment that everyone has been waiting for, and when that isn’t how it plays out, some will be upset. That said, I rather enjoyed the ending. It had me in my feels and sobbing like a baby.
Overall Thoughts
Suzume‘s voice cast has said that if you do not cry at some point during this movie, you have no soul — and I tend to agree. There are several extremely emotional parts, especially as the third act comes to a close.
What I love so much about this film is the human connection and the lessons of closure and moving on from tragedy. As a parent there are many things I can relate to when it comes to the relationship between Suzume and her Aunt.
This movie takes viewers on a magical journey thanks to a powerful story, strong themes, and stunning animation. It skews a little bit older, so be mindful if you plan to take children under ten.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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About Suzume
17-year-old Suzume’s journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I’m looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly drawn by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob…. Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near.
Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster. The stars. The sunset. The morning sky. Within that realm, it was as though all time had melted together in the sky–guided by these mysterious doors, Suzume’s journey to close doors is about to begin.
Suzume hits theaters on April 11th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.