When you hear Makoto Shinkai, you would think of films such as Your Name, Weathering with You, Suzume etc. Don't think that The Garden of Words gets the recognition that likes like Your Name or Weather with You get. It's a must-watch film and something you won't regret.
Just a summary of the storyline, it's about a young boy, Takao, 15, who ponders upon a 27-year-old person, Yukiro, a secondary school teacher. They always meet with each other at this park. Takao, a person with a passion for shoemaking, ponders upon Yukiro, a teacher who skips her job to hang out at this park.
Why do I think it's a masterpiece? On my Instagram account, you can see me talk about this film a few times. That shows how much I love this film. Where do I even begin?
The visuals. The details of the raindrops, the cinematography, the music, the cinematography, all of these elements make the film a must-watch.
Especially with the wide shots of Tokyo's buildings, but my favourite shot would be the train station. However, the music is something that I enjoy very much. I, myself, who play guitar and is currently learning piano, feel that each note of music played is something simple and yet so effective in explaining the scene without needing dialogue. I have no idea how to explain it but if I were to explain it to you, I would.
As shown in the film, you can see a contrast between two people who are at different stages of their lives. There's a young boy whose dream is to be a shoemaker and a person who feels hopeless with life - it's like a common you would see in life. I feel that you can see how sometimes people feel lonely, and all they need is someone to help them get through life.
'I realise now I was learning to walk as well. I haven't mastered the steps yet.' This quote yet so simple but effective showcases how life can be tough at times but it's important to not give up. I would say in terms of dialogue, this film has to be one of the best films I have watched thus far where each dialogue has its meaning behind it.
For me, The Garden of Words is my all-time favourite out of Shinkai's film. Its simple storyline, visuals, cinematography etc are some of the standouts for me. Believe it or not, the duration of this film is 46 minutes. It's a rather good achievement to be able to tell a story in that amount of minutes. It certainly doesn't feel like it's 46 minutes; however, it feels like it's an hour long.
Rating: 10/10
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