kate

this movie is such an incredible experience that its honestly hard to sum up in words. during my first watch i was completely lost. i had no idea what was going on when there was the random cut to the okinawa trip, and the random forum intercuts that happened throughout. i was the most lost with the apple stabbing thing, but after a second watch and also a crap ton of note taking it all made sense. this movie is a nonlinear narrative, which means the events do not happen in chronological order. though confusing at first, i feel like this was the right choice for this story. honestly this movie is a very uncomfortable watch, i mean we literally are just watching a poor middle school boy get completely tormented both online and in real life by this boy who was once his close friend. thats literal nightmare fuel but it was so well done. i loved the side character of the girl, and when she ended up killing herself i genuinely cried so hard i had to pause the movie. the aesthetics of this movie feel like at time capsule of a long gone time period, i feel like im in a time machine while watching it. the cinematography is off the charts as well. the whole movie is absolutely ethereal and breathtaking. overall, this film is so much more than just an old movie made in japan, its a movie that encapsulates an era of japan that is now long gone, and now we get to see a glimpse of the lives of those who lived in it.