Your Name
Every once and a while I go see a
movie that while I didn’t want to see it, I felt a ping of recognition and a
pull towards the movie. Maybe as though called out to by fate or whatever runs
the universe (who I’d like to talk to about a certain red haired girl) that
makes a movie stick in my noggin until I break down and see it. Honestly I
planned on writing a long review of Fate of The Furious which I saw last night
but Your Name is one of those rare movies that can move me emotionally and
interest me with it’s content. From director Makoto Shinkai, comes a beautiful animated
film about time, fate, and true love. I’ve never been a huge Anime fan so just
drawing me in became more challenging. I have nothing against them. I can’t say
I’ve ever really given them a chance. Perhaps I will have to but I would say to
those of you who don’t like Anime, give this movie a shot. It’s beautifully
created and the story is as complex as any great love story of our time.
Your Name begins with the story
of the day the stars fell (a meteor shower created from the broken fragments of
a comet), when the lives of two teenagers were forever altered. Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living
separate lives; Taki in Tokyo and Mitsuha in a small mountain town. Then one
night as they sleep, they switch places. Mitsuha in Taki's body (something is
in there), and he in hers (boobs and all). At first neither realizes this is
actually happening. They pass it off as a bizarre dream but soon their personalities
in each other’s lives begins to disrupt their set ways of life. These bizarre occurrences happen randomly, and
the two begin to adjust their lives around each other (leaving notes and
journal entries to warn/tell the other person the goings on in their respective
days). As annoying as it may seem, somehow, it works for them. They build a connection and more importantly,
an imprint on each other that reaches throughout the whole of the universe to
bring them together. Then one day it is gone and Taki becomes haunted by what
could have happened to cause their connection to vanish. Soon he begins to
search for Mitsuha but his memories of her are fading (as all dreams seem to)
and he has to wonder if it all was a dream.
You begin this review with a
simple question. If you (as a guy or girl) woke up with the opposite parts in
another room, how would you take it? I’d probably spend my day staring at
myself in the mirror. I mean how often do you have a situation like this? Yet
it says something to Taki’s ability to respect his counterparts body beyond an
obligatory boob grab which is probably very confusing. That’s what makes this
movie a serious love story and not a animeporn version of Freaky Friday. Taki
and Mitsuha respect each other and want the very best for each other. It’s what
love is all about. I’d be remiss if I didn’t speak on love. The idea of a
soulmate is often a laughable idea. That one person is meant to be with you is
looked at with derision. Mostly because no one wants to limit themselves to one
person but for those of us (and I do consider myself one of them) who has been
with their soulmate, it is anything but limiting. A soulmate is just that one
person that makes you feel that no matter what, they get you. It’s not about
limiting but about being the most complete you. A good romantic movie makes you
feel that they are not the only one for you but the most complete version
of someone for you. That’s where Your Name succeeds. You root for these two and
they don’t cheap out on you. They earn their love story and through a complex
set of circumstances proves the power true love has. As one of my favorite
movies of all time, Sing Street says “from the day I started crawling, I was on
my way to you.” When you love absolutely, that’s how it feels.
Mr. Unhappy sez: I’ve lived a
life where my belief on love is challenged to say the least. Movies like this
make me feel hopeful… and that’s something.
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