Day 5/31 - Summer Ghost: Carpe Diem

Director: Loundraw

Year: 2021

Genre: Fantasy/Mystery

'There's so much to life still I don't understand.'

If I were to tell you which film has had an impact on the way I see life, safe to say this is the film. I've seen this film many times and I feel that each time I watch it, it does not disappoint.

Three strangers become good friends - with each of them having a different background story to tell. Aoi, a girl who constantly gets bullied, Tomoya, a person who goes against his mother's wishes and wants to pursue a career in arts, Ryou, a person who has only nine months to live, and the infamous Summer Ghost, Ayane.

Aoi, who constantly gets bullied at school every time, almost wants to kill herself but is saved. What if no one was there to save her? She might not experience what things will come in the future for her.

Tomoya, a person some people can relate to, has ambitions that his mum wants him to do; however, he wants to pursue his ambition of becoming an artist.

Ryou, imagine someone telling you that you have only a certain amount of time to live? It's almost like a wake-up call for people to explore and go out there.

Ayane, the ghost in the film. An important character who can teach us a thing or two about how to enjoy our life ahead.

With the three main characters, you have these individuals with different paths in life and different problems they are facing, coming together and achieving tasks together. You get to see how each character deals with the pain that they are dealing with. It shows the problems they face.

My personal favourite moment is when the Aoi, Tomoya, and Ryou team up to find Ayane's body. I just like how each respective character forgets about his/her respective problems and they have a goal in mind.

Let's also talk about the music in the film. The score is a masterpiece. Each note has its purpose and it's well-written for each scene. Its slow pace makes it gel well with the scene.

However, there's one bit of the film that still to this day I cannot stop thinking about.

A piece of necklace which was Ayane's. It might look like a piece of necklace; however, based on the picture above, this is the POV of Ayane's mother looking at the necklace. This certain bit got to me because items which we cherish from the past has its way of telling a story.

But can you believe that this film is almost 40 minutes long? When I was getting to the good bits of the film, I was shocked at how the storytelling just makes it feel like it's almost an hour-long film. Give credit where credit is due, this is what I call the 'Less is More' approach.

This film has taught me never to take life for granted. We can die at any time but what's most important is to know that the day we die, is the day where we feel like we've achieved our respective goals in life, well, that's what I think. Especially Ayane, who is the ghost in the film. Despite her being dead, you can see her version as a ghost and what she regretted before dying. The dialogue she says shows how life is precious

How we all can relate to these life stories. Simple yet effective. I'm sure that these characters' experiences are something that might've happened to us in the past. The storyline might be effective, but it does a good job of building that emotional connection between the viewer and the characters.

In a way, strong elements of mental health are shown. Through going through each person's experience in the film, a simple 'How are you' to your friend, family member, etc can go a long way. It could potentially find a person who is going through a tough time and they want someone to talk to.

With that being said, this film for me, is a piece of art. It might be to have the visuals with you associated with a Makoto Shinkai film; however, what's important is to never judge a book by its cover. A film can have all the visuals you want, but if the story is not there, sometimes it's not worth watching in my opinion.

Rating: 9/10 as of November 2, 2022, and today it's 10/10 - this film is just a hidden gem.