Hanagatami is a visually stunning and emotionally intense coming-of-age story set in pre-World War II Japan. The film follows a group of teenagers as they navigate their complicated relationships and their impending adulthood in the face of an uncertain future.

The movie's artful cinematography and beautiful imagery, combined with its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, create a mesmerizing atmosphere that draws you into the story. However, the film's nonlinear narrative and surrealistic elements may leave some viewers feeling disoriented and confused.

The performances by the young cast are excellent, and the characters' struggles with love, friendship, and mortality feel deeply relatable despite the film's historical setting. The themes of the movie, including the transience of youth and the inevitability of change, are explored with sensitivity and nuance.

Overall, Hanagatami is a challenging but rewarding watch that will leave a lasting impression. It's not a film for everyone, but for those who appreciate experimental cinema and profound storytelling, it's a must-see.

Pros: Beautiful cinematography and music, great performances, profound themes.

Cons: Nonlinear narrative may be confusing for some viewers, some surrealistic elements may feel out of place.

Fun Fact: Director Nobuhiko Obayashi, who passed away in 2020, based the movie on his own experiences growing up during World War II.

For the first 20 minutes or so I was pretty confused and maybe even frustrated. The style is very odd- there's lots of choppy editing, unrealistic special effects, and obvious green screen, but all so obvious it's clearly intentional.

To what purpose? I wasn't always sure. I guess the story is framed as a distant memory, so maybe to depict it in a strictly realistic sense would be unfaithful to that concept? Or maybe it's just Obayashi's style- I haven't seen enough of his other films to know for sure.

I will admit it does make for some striking images. There are some incredibly beautiful shots here and there, contrasted with others that look garish and ugly. Again: I know it's intentional. What that intention was? I wasn't always sure.

I'm often interested in stories about people coping with an imminent threat or war, and with most of this story set right before Japan got involved in WW2, this film is kind of one of those. It's not just about that, though. It's a long and ambitious film with a number of important characters and many themes explored. I can't unpack them all, but the fact there is so much going on does ensure that the long runtime of almost three hours is justified, and while the film was sometimes very confusing, it was never boring.

I will say the last 10 minutes are great, and those last couple of scenes tie the film together well, and give context to some of the things that bewildered me earlier in the film.

It's an experience watching this, for sure. I didn't love it, and sometimes found myself turned off by some of its out there decisions in regards to visuals and editing, but I have a great deal of respect for it.

The way it dealt with things like death, regret, and memories coming from an older director who was told he only had a few months to live at the time he made it also ensures its emotional resonance and power.