Mirai of the Future

My daughter and I saw this wonderful film at the cinema today.  It was receiving its first screening here in the UK at select cinemas around the country. I'm glad anime is being shown on the big screen but its a shame it is marketed in such a low key manner. Despite being one of only a handful of cinemas showing this movie, our venue was virtually empty.

Mirai is an absolute gem of a film. It mainly focuses on the emotional jealousy of a 4 year old boy, Kun, in response to the arrival of his newborn sister. The film then detours on a magical journey as it takes on a part Alice in Wonderland and part Christmas Carol nature as various members of his family past and future visit the boy. These loveable characters take the boy on a series of short mini adventures to help teach him how to handle his emotions. These little events help him understand the value of being part of a loving family and to shed his more self centred desires.

There are many incredibly touching moments as well as very funny scenes. There was one scene where the whole cinema erupted in tears of laughter such was the power of the comical set up. The film was most powerful when Kun meets his mother as a small child and when he meets his great grandfather as a young man. Both scenes nuture strong emotions from the boy.

Mirai isn’t just about the boy’s adventures, it is also a commentary in the hardships and stresses of being  a young parent raising kids when also juggling a job and household chores - these might seem mundane and run of the mill situations but as any new parent will tell you, it is very tiring raising two demanding and young children.

The creator, Mamoru Hosoda is firmly established as one of Japan's great anime film makers. The man behind Wolf Children, Boy and the Beast, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars has come up with a more low key and slower paced effort this time, but one filled with just as much joy, emotion and love for the small things in life. He just seems to completely understand the small little things that pre-occupy the minds of little kids, the things that us adults long ago grew out of.

Mirai is a film that adults and kids can truly enjoy.

8/10