Look Back

TIFF Film #18

It has been a while since I've been this emotionally moved by film. The immense joy that was plastered on my face, the pure elation at seeing the connection form between these girls that turned into this deep pit in my stomach, lump in my throat, tears in my eyes that stayed and then reappeared as the credits rolled.

Hirokazu Kore-eda is so masterful at portraying tenderness and love, and Look Back is no different. The intimacy of the couple of girls that we follow is so striking and moving. What's more impressive is the film’s absence of a lot of dialogue. He's able to pull you into their world through their shared love of manga and the adoration that they have for each other's art. Scenes of them simply drawing in their room, connecting over stories that they're telling could have gone on for hours and I wouldn't have been mad.

It felt like we got to exist with them, exist in their shared world for a little piece of time, and for that I'm so grateful for it has some of the most gorgeous imagery I've seen put to screen in Kore-eda’s filmography, which is saying something as he crafts such gorgeously intentional images.

Here, the colouring of the film blew me away, the lush greens of the grass, the stark white-blue hues of the snow crushing under the weight of their colourful coats. There's a shot of the pair of girls arguing on a road that was ingrained in my brain the moment I saw it and is bringing a tear to my eye, even thinking about it.

Speaking of tears, the lush score that encompasses this movie really ties it all together. The central theme manages to capture how their relationship feels. Whenever they're together, they feel like they're flying and floating, like life just makes sense. It's so rare to connect that deeply with another person, and it's so rewarding when you find a friend who just understands who you are, that feeling was distilled and put into this transfixing score.

When this theme comes around for another time towards the end of the movie I was having a full-body reaction to it. It has been ringing in my head ever since the film ended. It is a gorgeous, gorgeous piece of music that fits so wonderfully with their story.

I'm not sure there's anything to really criticise about this movie. It genuinely might be flawless. At the end of the day, relationships are all we really have, to truly connect with somebody is a gift and to share a piece of their world for however long, nothing beats that.