This is the greatest movie that I've ever watched. More objectively speaking, based purely on critical reasoning, there is much to discuss, but the beauty of this movie trumped all of that. I will begin a more critical review of all of its strengths and flaws, but first, let me give my experience.
I watched this movie alone, without anyone around me, without a worry for the time. Without this, I imagine my experience could have been different, as it's difficult for me and many to make themselves vulnerable outside of the safety and comfort of privacy. I cried. I, who haven't cried to any sort of media in a few years, cried in a way that I might have cried only a few times in my life. I cried until I literally ran out of tears. It was so beautiful a movie that I've never cried so happily in my life. It was, for me, a catalyst of release that I didn't know I needed, a story so beautiful as to imprint itself into my mind in a way that I will absolutely never forget.
Even then, I was experiencing and attempting to analyze the movie as I watched it. I was trying to see all the imagery and symbolism, follow the themes of the movie, and see what the movie was trying to tell me. I held back tears until the very end of the movie, but when it all began to end, I just couldn't hold it back. Without exaggeration, everyone needs to see this movie. If even one person is inspired by this review to willfully experience it in the way that I did, I will be thankful. It may not touch them in the same way that it broke me apart, but if even one person comes to see the beauty of this movie, I will be endlessly joyed.
This movie touches on a common theme in a way more holistically than most are willing to. It's a difficult task to challenge the theme of family, of relationships, and of building oneself in the way that this movie accomplishes. After all, these are all extremely familiar themes to everyone, yet the unique format of the movie manages to expand on that theme in a way that I've never seen or experiences. In addition to these are minor themes of freedom, release, and ambition. With this said, let me get into a more critical review of how they accomplished this well, and how it wasn't totally perfect. In my ratings, please note that a rating of 9 is great and a rating of 10 is outstanding. Though not perfect, I find all of the story, art, and character creation to be done absolutely outstandingly.
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Story 10/10: The story takes on the format of an epic, with events happening in an inconsistent chronological scale. The events of the movie happen during different times, and one of the weaknesses in the storytelling of the movie is the lack of effective transitioning between the times. By all rights, this a holistic story that has the plot arc of rising action into climax, but with this format, it can blur the lines of consistent rising action. The misinterpretation of such, especially in a long two-hour time frame, will inevitably weaken the climax and the overall storytelling of the movie. It is potentially overly ambitious for the story it is telling.
That said, I also believe its format to be a unique strength. Beyond the lack of perfect transitions and beyond the possibility of misinterpretation, the story is written in a way that through every time skip, we will see the progression of the characters and world in a way that fills in the periods of time in between. The movie dares to spread itself throughout what seems to be around 20 years, and it doesn't address some of the minor slices of life in between. Every scene is thus impactful and feels useful in creating the grand story.
Used in tandem with the art and the sound, the worldbuilding, which is important in setting the stage for the events in the movie, is done to an outstanding degree. The sound design will follow the periods of time and the development of the world around our characters, and the art will reflect a dynamic and immersive environment. It strikes a balance between what is relatable and what is fantastical to enrapture the viewer while simultaneously giving an ethereal feel. It may seem somewhat contradictory to say so, but that is exactly the setting I saw the movie trying to create, and exactly what the movie did accomplish creating in the case of me. The incredibly realistic, vivid, smart, and dynamic character design only serves to drive all of these factors forwards. It accomplishes on all fronts what almost all other movies and shows will fail to accomplish. This is why I believe the story to be definitively outstanding amongst all others.
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Art 10/10: It goes without saying that this movie is beautiful. One look at literally any scene in the movie will go to show the polish put into it. The way that the sun and lighting are portrayed, the ethereal landscapes, the imaginative yet fully developed world, and even the tiny details such as the look of bricks were clearly polished and given thought. This is one of the greatest aspects of the movie.
In much of what the storytelling lacks in time of narration, it makes up for in sound and art design. For example, the world's continual push towards industrialism is seen and reflected in world design. Scenes of similar areas in different time periods will have the nuances of the time period worked out. The introduction of steelworking is reflected in the lighter nights, the sight of smokestacks throughout regions of the city, and even more specifically reflected in the lives of the world. As the introduction of more industrial applications is continued, some jobs, for example, weaving on the loom, are accurately presented as slightly less common for it can be expected that such developments are becoming more centralized in factories. These are the sorts of nuances that will draw a viewer in without them fully realizing, and the degree to which the imaginative world reflects realism in such an intricate manner is what drives me to say that the story is outstanding; it is because the art and sound are outstanding to a degree that it greatly strengthens the story.
One of my first worries about the art in specific was the usage of CGI in the animation of the movie. Yes, there are perhaps two scenes where the usage is notable in a way that could affect immersion. Despite that, the usage of CGI was so well accomplished that I was instead pleased with the fluid animation and vividness that it allowed. Thankfully also, the fluidity never subtracted from the style of the movie, and only added. It was a surprise to me seeing the two layered on top of each other to such great effect. That said, every facial animation and every camera angle was given much care as well. Even without extensive film training, I could see the desired effect of such framing in a way that was incredibly natural; that's just one more thing I was impressed by.
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Sound 9/10: Before anything else, the voice acting is on point. Not once throughout the movie did I feel as though it subtracted from the experience. In addition, when it really mattered, the level of emotion put into the voices really pushed through the message in a way that was outstanding, even among modern standards. The voice acting really helped as a liaison into the world. With such vivid voices and sound, the immensity of this imaginary world is really tightened into a form that is approachable and incredibly impactful.
The soundtrack and the background sound design are also done very well. In specific, I found that the soundtrack wasn't as effective as it could have been. Yes, it was a great soundtrack and never once subtracted from the atmosphere, but the volume balancing at times wasn't very dynamic. In a climactic or tense situation, a crescendo of noise is present but not defining. None of the soundtracks and character themes are incredibly useful in illustrating a scene such that a character would be associated with any soundtrack. That is, though perhaps intentionally done, one of the ways that its soundtrack failed to live up to some of the roles it could have filled.
In contrast to some of the soundtrack work, that which pushes the sound design into a 9, a great rating, is the atmospheric sound. Whether it be the steps, the banter, the steam, or even the wind accompanying the movement, it was all incredibly immersive and effective in worldbuilding. Without the sound, the beautiful art would have been lacking in some of the colors that fill in the setting. This movie, however, doesn't lack in either, which is what lays such a solid foundation for the story to be told.
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Character 10/10: It's not as though there was never a character struggling to grow into a motherly role. It's not as though there was never a character growing through the young ages of his life into becoming a great person. There has never been, however, so centric a pair of characters that reflect so many of the intricacies and complications of relationships as well as the two main characters of this movie.
Without spoiling too much, the development of the characters is one of the hardest tasks to accomplish with the chronological format of the movie. The movie chooses to forego some of the common character development tropes that exist, such as contrived reasons for the main character to be kind to someone. It instead shows a real and vivid character. Each character is relatable and understandable in a way that fits into common perception, yet each character is uniquely individualistic. The movie portrays this not in any sorts random quirks, but in the development of the character through their slightest movements, their facial expressions, their initial and later reactions to events. All of it adds up into a character the viewer relates to, cares for, and understands in a way beyond just fitting them into a stereotype.
The movie accomplishes through its storytelling format a way to play on both existing understandings of people and on each character's dynamic individuality. The perfect balance creates perfect vessels for the story they desired to tell. Again, however, there exists the valid argument that the two-hour frame of the movie is simply not enough to build an incredibly deep connection to the character. The movie's response to this is that it focuses primarily not on every single aspect of the characters, but instead on building them in a way that pushes forward their desired messages in the themes they wish to explore. Such a method is perfectly effective in the story. Characters and story are balanced in this movie such that they seem perfectly intertwined. Characters don't seem contrived for the sake of storytelling, and the storytelling doesn't seem to be forced around the relationship of two characters. This balance is one of great importance and something accomplished remarkably well in this movie.
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Enjoyment 10/10: This is my favorite movie of all time. Period. I believe the best way to enjoy it is to fully make yourself vulnerable to the messages it wishes to convey. While this argument is true of any dramatic work, much of the messages touch close to home in a way that requires vulnerability. Through one's formation in life, they naturally build themselves in a way that masks some "childish" emotions. Whether it be the love of their mothers, blissful ignorance, or even the desire to be able to depend on someone, all these emotions are gradually hidden, and the experience of the movie is greatly enhanced in letting these emotions out. This is the sort of emotional release that made the movie such an outstanding work of art, and I hope that others will also be able to appreciate in a similar way.
