55th BFI London Film Festival: ‘Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below’

It’s only natural that parallels will be drawn with Spirited Away for this lacklustre but occasionally breathtaking anime. There’s a preoccupation with man’s damage to nature, a fantastical world inhabited by mythical—often scary—creatures, and a prepubescent heroine (what is it with the Japanese and schoolgirls?).

After an encounter with a mysterious young man who appears to have superhuman powers, young Asuna discovers the entrance to an underground world called Agartha. It’s guarded by the Quetzal Coatl, godlike beasts who at one time protected the humans who live there. But now an aggressive “topsider” who believes he can resurrect his wife in Agartha will stop at nothing to achieve his aim—including sacrificing Asuna herself.

The problem here is not the imagery, which is intermittently stunning, but the characterisations. Yep, there’s a serious exposition problem here. Director Makoto Shinkai has his cast explain everything that’s happening. It leads to a turgid swamp of ridiculous melodramatic phrases, reminiscent of several Legend of Zelda cut scenes run together.

It’s a shame because it takes real guts to tackle the theme of what happens when we die so head on. Shinkai uses haunting, unearthly artwork to depict the gods of the underworld, reminiscent of ancient Mayan carvings. The remarkable end sequence set at the Gate of Life and Death is worth the price of admission alone.

[etRating value=“ 2.5”]