Drawing Closer

A Raw, Heartfelt Film That Hits Deep

Drawing Closer (2024) is an absolutely spectacular, beautifully crafted film. Japanese filmmakers really excel at delivering powerful, emotional stories—just look at A Silent Voice, Your Name, and I Want to Eat Your Pancreas. This film brings a heartfelt narrative that, while maybe not the most original, shines with a mix of happiness, sadness, and beauty. The cast's performances are phenomenal; they brought such raw emotion to their roles that everything felt almost too real.

Throughout the movie, there were four moments when I was on the verge of tears—rare for me! I kept holding back, reminding myself, 'I'm a tough guy, I won’t cry.' Still, this movie’s blend of joy, sorrow, and melancholy lingers, leaving you smiling through the tears. It’s available on Netflix and well worth a watch.

I recently saw another film by the same director, Your Eyes Tell. While not as intense, it was equally impressive. This director is definitely creating 5-star films—I can’t wait to explore more of his work.

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Hard to write about

This is a movie that is hard to rate and hard to review, leaving me without words for the first time since I started writing reviews.

One could think that that should stop me from writing a review, and it almost did but that alone makes it worthy of a review.

So what can I say, the movie has a pretty decent approach to puppy love at the twilight moments of teens lives. Combining art, youth, and lots and lots of Garberas colorful moments in the hospital gray... Showing people with terminal illnesses with drams, wishes and I guess more than just people waiting for a cure... With lots of moments of color and fun.

As well as shows the value of normalsy... So I guess I did manage to find some words in the end.

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How to love even when there is a time limit...

If there is one thing I can take away from Drawing Closer, it is that the film shows people how to love—even when life has an expiration date. The two main characters meet by chance when she almost saves his life as he is about to commit suicide. This moment soon leads to their endless hospital visits, where they slowly begin to give each other a reason to live. Each of them starts trying to make the other’s day happier, even if only for a little while.

The cinematography in this movie is incredible. From the lighting to the music to the camera angles, everything feels calm and almost blissful despite the terrible situations the characters are facing. I think this contrast is what makes the film feel so alive. The beauty of the visuals and sound design creates moments of peace within a story that is ultimately about loss and limited time.

Although the film uses some cliché storylines, the acting and the way these moments are portrayed make them feel fresh and deeply emotional. The characters are complex, and the film shows the duality of human emotion—how love can become a powerful motivator and how friendship can mean everything when time is running out.

What I appreciated most was how she pretended not to know the truth about their situation. Instead of spending their remaining time in sadness or agony, she chose simple happiness. In their small world, nothing was happening to them. There was no expiration date, and they could simply exist as the people they wanted to be.

The final painting he creates, inspired by the very first drawing he saw from her, feels especially meaningful. It shows how deeply she changed him and how much of an impact she had on his life. In a way, it feels like he is finally ready to be with her again—wherever she may be.

Overall, Drawing Closer is a film that reminds you to live without regrets. It encourages you to treat every day as if it matters—because it does.

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Predictable...

Overall 7/10
🌟🌟🌟⭐

It's a sad movie as one would expect. However, it just didn't really get to me as much as I was hoping it would. I watched Drawing Closer hoping it would make me cry a lot but it was not as sad as I had hoped. Everything that happened was expected and I didn't like the trope they added at the very end with the friend. I would have enjoyed the movie a bit more without it. I'd recommend watching the movie without any expectations in order to enjoy it more. Overall it was really good, it just didn't live up to the expectations I had in mind hence the lower rating.

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Heavy tearjerker

When I first watched this it was fairly new and I was going thru a tough patch in life I just wanted to cry out but Every single drama failed to do it this was that movie that hit very deep and I cried I cried uncontrollably I couldn't imagine how every scene was so cruel. The fact that none of them (akito, haruna and ayaka) could see each other for the last time was tragic. My heart goes to akito and haruna tho they were simply meant for each other but cursed with a limited time in life and in that limited time they had enough love for each other that people that live lifetime would never experience. I have grown up watching tragedies where either the female lead dies or the male lead but what hits me the most is where both of them pass out it's like a closure that makes me hope that, yes they found each other in after like. I have never gone back and watched any tragedies ever simply cause the initial depth it lost ( and yes I feel scared ) when you know it's inevitable but this I couldn't stop myself and trust me I cried all of the times I went back to it.it crushed my heart again and again but I don't regret it I love this I will cry every single time I'll watch this

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“I am certain we were born just so we could meet each other”

I am truly devastated. I watched it yesterday, and after finishing the whole movie, I found myself torn between regretting my decision to watch it and being glad that I discovered it. I haven’t cried this hard over a movie in years.
Characters and plot: I truly love how the characters are portrayed; three main characters who are genuinely kind souls, each with their own minor flaws. Speaking of the female and male leads, I kept wishing there would be a twist in the plot and that they would end up receiving the cure they deserved, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t have fit this story. However, I am deeply satisfied with every little detail of their journey and how they “healed” each other’s souls, even if only for a short time. The deep and intense love they shared led to sacrifices, tears, and moments of hesitation, all in an effort to protect one another. I’m glad that, by the end, both of them at least knew the full truth about each other and the sacrifices they made.
The only thing I would have liked to see is Akito’s love declaration for Haruna, just as she confessed to him although he found out about her feelings only after her death. Nevertheless, I have nothing negative to say about the plot or the characters.
I would also like to mention Ayaka, I loved her character a lot. She truly valued Haruna and later Akito and was always on their side. I feel so bad for her, as she lost both of her friends. Amid this journey of love and friendship, the movie also makes us pause and appreciate life even more.
Acting: AMAZING! Ren, Natsuki, and Mayuu did an incredible job portraying their characters. It’s not only the plot that made us cry; their outstanding performances added emotional depth that would have otherwise been missing. The crying scenes, especially, were so raw and powerful. This is exactly the kind of acting I love to see, and I was very impressed.
In addition to the story and acting, I would also give a 10/10 to other elements like production, scene aesthetics, chemistry between the actors, and the music.
This movie is a 10/10 for me.

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“Drawing Closer” is a heart-warming romance drama that touches the heart with its sincerity and the delicacy with which it addresses such a heavy subject as terminal illness. It is a film that, despite its tragic premise, manages to inspire and make the viewer reflect on the value of life and the depth of human bonds. For fans of Japanese romantic dramas and stories that explore the complexities of love and loss with sensitivity, “Drawing Closer” is a worthy addition. Prepare for a film that will make you shed a few tears, but will also leave you with a feeling of warmth and appreciation for the ephemeral beauty of life.

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It's the Journey

You know going in the ending, more or less, but it's the journey that matters. The writer, director, and actors execute perfectly delivering a moving experience following the lives of two teens who got dealt the short end of fate's stick. Lot's of tears, but inspirational, too.

The ratings here of Japanese movies/shows tend to be lower by about .3 or .4. Drawing Closer caught my attention for, as of this date, a rating of 8.9 which is remarkable. And it deserves that high rating.

A multi-episode TV show has much longer to create a connection with the viewer. It's also remarkable that this relatively short movie managed to develop a strong connection to these several characters.

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"Us, meeting like we did, wasn't a coincidence. It was inevitable."

This movie took me in a totally unexpected journey. I expected a cute romance featuring an artist but I got so much more than that. I grew very attached to both characters and what they were going through. The fact that their love for Art intertwined with their relationship was amazing. Visually there were some beautiful moments as flowers were an essential points for the romance : the symbolism was super powerful.

The acting was very solid and brought me a lot of feelings...It was my first time watching the leads (Nagase Ren and Deguchi Natsuki) and they really impressed me. It felt very sincere and pure, without overacting but rather appropriately measured.

I would recommend this to people looking for an impactful romance, very sweet and cathartic. It is both light and heavy, and it will take you on a very emotional journey. It broke me but at the same time was healing.

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