On this page: LITTLE AMELIE | SCARLET | SIRAT

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There is a range of experience here, from goofy comedy to some intensely scary moments. When Amelie asks Nishio about death, she describes losing her family during the war in an inventively animated sequence that's darkly emotional. And a series of events on Amelie's third birthday remind her that Japan isn't actually her home. One day she will have to move to Belgium, a place that's completely foreign to her.

The animators skilfully capture the changing seasons while finding bursts of energy in each of the characters. The colours and brushstrokes are simply beautiful. Amelie learns that her name means rain in Japanese, appropriately because it's so precarious, dangerous and tempestuous (the original French title refers to God-like tubes). This is a film packed with lessons, as Amelie begins to understand the nature of sadness and longing, as well as the power of memory. It's a reminder to see life every day with eyes wide open.

strong themes

24.Nov.25

Hosoda spent more than four years refining the look of this film, determined to create something distinct from both 2D Japanese anime and Hollywood's 3D digital approach. The imagery here includes vast set-pieces with enormous battles, expansive landscapes, crowds of thousands and even a dazzling volcanic eruption. But the focus remains tightly on Scarlet and her connection with this strange young man. Both of them are stubborn and likeable as this situation changes them profoundly.

Scarlet begins to realise that if she had been born in a different time, perhaps she could have avoided all this violence and torment. But she also can't bear the thought that her father wanted her to forgive the person she hates the most. And the film's strongest moments involve the way she grapples with the difficulty of letting go of her anger and living in a way that makes the world a better place. A series of climactic scenes are both jaw-dropping and simply beautiful.

themes, language, violence

4.Dec.25

Lopez gives Luis a lovely tenacity, a man who hasn't heard from his daughter for six months and isn't willing to stop searching for her. His reactions to the things that happen are often overwhelmingly honest. The young Nunez Arjona matches his quiet determination and has a more generous nature. He also finds it easier to slot in with these five quirk-filled travelling companions, who are played by non-actors with remarkable full-bodied authenticity.

Few films dare to tell this kind of story with such unflinching emotional intensity, creating a true-to-life mix of joy and pain with the power to send us reeling. The tension grows so terrifying that the film shifts into surreal, sunshiny horror. This makes several sequences feel seriously wrenching. But the way these messy people come together to hold each other is simply gorgeous. So this story becomes both a celebration of how scars make us beautiful and a lament for the violent world we have created.

themes, language, violence

24.Nov.25