Anata no Soba de Ashita ga Warau (2021)

A gentle story about coping with loss

I think it's one of the few movies about the subject which didn't make me want to burst into tears while watching, yet the hardships of the of the protagonist are subtly and gently conveyed to the viewer. The story successfully relays the struggles of the Tohoku residents years after the disaster without being too graphic about it, which is a big plus - focusing on the horror is easier, but making the viewers understand and feel the loss without doing so is much harder.

The only thing I didn't like about the story is a minor "plot-twist" at the end (no spoilers, don't worry). In my opinion it was unnecessary and didn't contribute much, and was added only to make sure the protagonist would say a certain sentence.

The acting sometimes felt a bit forced to me. Usually it's a result of either the directing or inexperienced actors, in that case I believe it's the former and not the latter.

The scenery is beautiful! I don't know why they didn't show more shots of the town, it complements the story perfectly.

The only reason I gave it such a low rewatch value is that I don't think I'm going to watch it again, but that's me, I almost never watch a movie more than twice :)

8.5/10

Citeste mai mult