(Haru) (1996)

This may become your comfort movie

Haru was such a lucky find. I was genuinely surprised to come across this movie because it is quite old and not something you hear people talk about often. Released in 1996, it offers a deeply nostalgic experience, especially for anyone who grew up in the 90s.
The cinematography, pacing, and color palette perfectly capture the atmosphere of films from that era. Watching it brought back so many memories and made me nostalgic.

Plot**
The story follows Haru and Hitoshi, who meet though an online movie forum. They begin exchanging emails and grow close when Haru discovers that Hitoshi is actually a girl. Their correspondence continues for a long time as they share their lives and support each other

What makes this movie truly unique is that around 85% of it consists of email exchanges. You literally read their messages on screen, which gives the movie an almost book-like feeling, like reading through letters. The story is great and could easily become someone's comfort movie.

This film resonated with me deeply because it reminded me of my own experience with online friendships many years ago.
About 25 years ago, I also had an online friend with whom I exchanged emails weekly. We created precious memories together and supported each other throughout our school years. Watching Haru brought back a huge wave of nostalgia and emotions I had almost forgotten.
What makes the movie even more fascinating is remembering the time period in which it was made. In 1996, not everyone had access to computers or the internet, so this type of story must have felt incredibly modern and unusual.

Another aspect I appreciated is that Hitoshi and Haru don’t share everything about their lives; they only reveal certain parts. This limited sharing creates a sense of mutual support that sustains them in things that truly matters to them. For instance, Hitoshi never mentions the guy who was stalking her but does talk about a man who proposed to her. Perhaps, on some level, they both sensed their growing feelings for each other and wanted to gauge each other's reactions.

Overall, Haru is a wonderful film, especially for fans of older movies and slower, emotionally driven storytelling.
I think 90s kids in particular will truly cherish this experience because the raw cinematography and atmosphere feel like a postcard from that era. It captures not only the aesthetic of the 90s, but also the emotional loneliness and warmth of early internet connections in a way that feels timeless.

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Seeking true connection is what we all want to be able to do...

The film, although filmed almost 30 years ago, remains completely relevant.

The two characters form a sincere online friendship without ever having met. They get to know each other through the emails they send each other. Despite the lies, the sometimes long-awaited answers, they manage to prolong their friendship because of the unconditional acceptance of the other.
Perhaps this acceptance was facilitated by the fact that they never met, the lies are forgiven more quickly because they do not have to confront their feelings of shame or guilt face to face.
The film could have been better made, however I always loved how most Japanese films and dramas of the 90s face the daily life. I really admire the fact that often the ordinariness is made less unbearable than in reality. There is a lot of comfort in what the film gives us but also a sadness that is ... accepted.
We can still lead our life in a courageous way, it can still harbor a form of beauty that belongs to us, even if our life is not full of exceptional events, of constant adventures...
Continuing to live is already an exceptional act, we carry within us magic much more than life carries, and we don't always see it.

We all have responsabilities and boreness in our life, and that's okay, we all go through this sentiment of feeling stuck in the same daily routine of our lives. But yet, there is still a space where you can find beauty in it.
It is increasingly difficult to form real relationships in our daily lives in our increasingly individual societies, and having to communicate via email or social networks now is both sad, perhaps even tragic, but also allows us to find a certain sense of hope.

The real beauty of this film is in the characters' innocent and powerful will to see the best in each other, and to maintain a constant connection between them despite obstacles. Their willingness to connect is very pure.
I also really like how the movie normalizes the feeling of loneliness. At no point is there any motivation of sensationalizing the fact of choosing to be alone or to isolate oneself. The film doesn't try to make the spectators sad or to feel sorry for the characters, but to understand them and accept their choice of life. Sometimes choosing to isolate oneself is not a dramatic thing, but simply a choice of living to gain some respite, to not have to suffer so intensely in front of the world which continues to move forward, that same world who prentend to not see you or how you feel.

Seeking a true connexion, feeling seen and heard, accepted and cherished is what we all want to be able to do. Don't we ?

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