In this corner of the world

"In This Corner of the World" is a movie that beautifully portrays how the greatest victims of war are ordinary people living ordinary lives, and yet, after suffering immense loss, emotional trauma, and mental trauma, they still decide not to give up and continue living.

\*\*SPOILERS AHEAD\*\*

Suzu is a character who has a childlike imaginative mind, forgets things easily, and may seem like a dumb person, but she is probably the strongest person in the movie. She suffers so much, yet at the end of the day, she remains happy. She adapts to difficult circumstances while staying strong and resilient, and never becomes a burden on anyone. Viewers may often overlook how kind her in-laws were to her (highly uncommon in that era), and how her husband was such a kind gentleman who was never possessive of her, always gave her space, and trusted her no matter what.

We should not forget about Keiko either. In that era, being a widow, losing custody of her son, and eventually losing her daughter in the bombing would have broken most people, yet she remained a strong and kind woman. Maybe yes, she became bitter after her daughter died, but that was a completely legitimate first reaction.

And Harumi... the innocence of Harumi, the joy of Harumi. It hit so hard when she died. I was bawling my eyes out. It showed how war kills innocent and pure souls like Harumi, who have no relation to it at all. Then there is the parallel with the child who lost her mother at the end of the movie and was eventually adopted. The parallelism served the theme of the movie so well: no matter how bad your circumstances are, there is always hope at the end of the day.

The watercolor-like animation felt so innocent and comforting, while at the same time rough and fragile. It felt as if the movie was a reminiscence of Suzu herself because she loved to paint and draw whatever was in front of her. It was almost as if she was looking back on her life through a watercolor lens.

One thing that frustrated me was how often families learned about tragedies long after they had happened. Rationally, I understand this was normal during that era. Emotionally, it was painful watching people remain unaware while their loved ones suffered.

Suzu's family being from Hiroshima, and then the bomb hitting Hiroshima, devastated me so badly. Knowing that her family was going to die... ugh.

There was a lot of parallelism in the movie, but if I write more, I may end up spoiling the movie even further lol.

In this Corner of the World