This review may contain spoilers
How do we move on?
Call me Chihiro is a interesting little bit of drama. On the surface it seems to be like a perfectly balanced glass full of water. Everything is fine and everyone seems to be just getting on. But what if we add a few more drops to that glass? Will it spill out ? or will it maintain it's level and not spill. This is how I like to think of this plot.The main plot of Chihiro deals with a young lady expertly played by Kasumi Arimura. Chihiro seemingly moves aimlessly through life in order to keep her self busy. On the opposite end we have Okaji who is quietly suffering inside because she is undoubtedly being suppressed by her family. Then we have Makoto, a young boy who is basically raising himself. I loved the chemistry between these 3 and how they helped each other grow by realizing different parts of their lives they had not yet experienced. Chihiro's warmth and spirit are the star here, helping everyone to grow and become better despite her own failures. I loved all the little character moments littered throughout the movie. All the background characters had profound effects on how Chihiro sees herself and it touched me.Her interactions with Tae are also some of the best character moments in the movie in my personal opinion. There's a scene towards the end that isn't even sad but it made me tear up because it contained so much warmth.
The cinematography in this movie is phenomenal. There's a few shots that capture that unique melancholic feel of being lost in your own thoughts and feelings and I think that it played a big part in the enjoyment of this movie. The music is beautiful and uplifting as well.
The ending might not be for everyone but if you understand Chihiro as a character it will make perfect sense. I liked how the ending was up to interpretation. The movie will feel different depending on how much hardship you lived in your life and I think it's ok if you don't feel strongly about this movie. But it's worth watching for some pure humanity.
I hope you find someone in your life to give an acorn to.
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A Gentle Tapestry of Lives Intertwined
Call Me Chihiro is a quiet, emotional, and deeply human film, one that trades dramatic plot twists for the slow bloom of connection. Directed by Rikiya Imaizumi and based on Hiroyuki Yasuda’s manga Chihiro-san, it follows Chihiro (Kasumi Arimura), a former sex worker now working at a seaside bento shop. She moves through her days with warmth, openness, and an almost ethereal calm, touching lives without ever forcing her presence.Chihiro’s story is less about her transformation and more about the lives she brushes against:
The Old Homeless Man – a solitary figure who receives Chihiro’s quiet compassion, reminding us how dignity can be restored with a simple act of kindness.
The Shy Teenage Girl – her admirer, who looks up to Chihiro’s independence and unconventional grace, finding courage in her example.
The Lonely Young Boy – often seen eating alone, who slowly opens up when Chihiro shares meals with him, filling an emotional gap in his life.
The Neglected Child, whose difficult home life makes Chihiro’s small gestures of care feel like rare moments of safety.
The Elderly Blind Woman – who forms a tender bond with Chihiro, their conversations marked by trust and mutual understanding.
Her Former Boss – a reminder of Chihiro’s past, yet their exchanges are laced with respect and unspoken history.
Hints of Chihiro’s wounds, a scar, her distance from family, and her muted reaction to her mother’s death run beneath the surface, giving her an enigmatic depth.
Kasumi Arimura’s performance is a masterclass in subtlety: layered, restrained, and magnetic. The film’s quiet pacing, lingering shots of the sea, and ambient sound design create a space where every pause feels intentional, every glance weighted.
Call Me Chihiro isn’t a story you watch for answers; it’s one you sit with, letting its gentle ripples stay with you like the memory of a soft tide.
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TW// death
This was such an unexpected find, but certainly a healing one. Arimura Kasumi fleshed out Chihiro so well, I loved the bonds she made with the other characters, and, especially her kindness and freespirited nature. The movie is a bit silly at times, but it balances out themes like death, complex family dynamics and life after leaving the world of prostitution, while still being respectful.I say it's definitely worth a watch, if not a rewatch.
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The story follows a young and charming woman named Chihiro. We know from the beginning she used to be a sex worker but now lives in a small seaside city, selling bento (Japanese lunch boxes). Her outgoing personality and easy smile is infectious but it’s clear she also has a rich inner life. Chihiro goes around town making friends. A collection of lost souls, each with their own issues, brought together by her. Her life experience allows her to read a room and people with ease, and she’s mainly a listener but when he shares her thoughts you soon can see she’s wise beyond her age and is able to help others.
Despite her constant kindness towards others, Chihiro’s existence is stray-like and detached. She doesn’t shy away from relationships with others but she doesn’t exactly share herself fully. There’s a loneliness and resignation about her. She knows she is not leading a happy life but more like a collection of happy moments and that’s fine with her.
Call Me Chihiro is a fairly quiet little movie, about every day life and the people who make up our world. This isn’t a grand epic, with huge scenes of spectacle, it is very much a calm, occasionally sedate story from start to finish. At times its rhythm reminded to the waves of the ocean, constantly and endlessly reaching the shore. Sometimes calm and peaceful, others more harsh. On this, Call me Chihiro is the quintessential Japanese film about shading appreciating the small gestures and accepting everyone, no matter how poor or rich their background because in the end none of that matters. It’s your actions that speak volumes about the kind of person you are.
Arimura Kasumi remains, to me, one of the most interesting and talented Japanese actress working today. She certainly knows how to carry a story but also when to let others shine. The character of Chihiro could have easily end up being a rather flat but thanks to Arimura’s performances we easily accept her and are willing to go with her on this journey of self discovery and worth. By the final scene of the movie, we understand Chihiro’s decisions and loneliness. Most importantly why, by the end, she is ready to start anew.
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até onde conseguimos aguentar a solidão que nos persegue
Meu nome é Chiriro é um filme profundo no qual eu consegui me emocionar assistindo, Arimura Kasumi conseguiu passar muito bem a essência da personagem e a solidão profunda que a persegue.Achei interessante como a maioria das cenas foram filmadas de frente, passando a ideia de sermos um telespectador assistindo a vida de Aya, gostei bastante como no filme eles deixam aberto a interpretação do público algumas cenas, eles mostram os personagens e nós mesmo assumimos o que eles passaram através das cenas ou diálogos mostrados, como por exemplo nas cenas em família da Kuniko, não foi preciso mostrar nenhuma cena de destrato para percebemos que aquele não um lar saudável, e Chiriro como é boa em ler as pessoas fala até sobre isso no filme.
Particularmente adorei a teoria de que os seres humanos são seres vindos de outros planetas, isso é a forma mais fácil de se explicar que cada pessoa tem sua personalidade e jeito e que por isso não conseguimos nos dar bem com todos, mas quando encontramos alguém na mesma sintonia que nós, vindo do mesmo planeta, é como se nos sentíssemos em casa, e as cena da Chiriro com a Tae mostram exatamente isso.
O filme me fez refletir sobre a vida e me emocionou em algumas partes, eu realmente consegui apreciar a obra e a profundidade que é a protagonista apenas deixa tudo mais interessante, principalmente na cena que ela simplesmente cansa e passa dias em casa sozinha e solitária, é algo de se passar dias pensando e analisando para se obter pensamentos mais coerentes sobre. No fim Chiriro pode ser lembrada como um anjo frágil que passa durante um período na vida das pessoas para as deixarem mais leves, um anjo que depois de tanto sofrer adotou uma vida leve e fácil que tem o foco em aproveitar e apreciar os pequenos momentos da vida, de se observar as pequenas coisas e ser o mais gentil possível, tal qual sua essência.
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