Katherine Nguyen P.

Foreign Film Critique

Use the following format for your international film critique; answer must be typed
below the questions and all questions must appear in full on your final copy. You can
use this document as your template. Pay careful attention to the required number of
words for those questions that have them. Failure to follow the instructions here and
on your syllabus will result in a substantially low grade. Minimal answers poorly
written are a D grade or less. Elaboration of points, excellent arguments, and good
writing garner higher grades.
1. Title of Film
a. Children Who Chase Lost Voices

2. Year of Release:
a. 2011

3. Language of Original Film:

a. Japanese

4. Director:
a. Makoto Shinkai

5. Actors:
a. The main voice actors and actresses in this anime are: Makoto as
Shinkai, Miyu Irino as Shin, Hisako Kanemoto as Asuna Watase,
Kazuhiko Inoue as Ryuji Morisaki.

6. Give a brief summary (150-250 words. DO NOT plagiarize from the web!):
a. Children Who Chase Lost Voices is about a young girl by the name of Asuna,
who goes on an adventure to a land called Agartha, a land she believed in
but never really thought existed. When she was younger she had lost her
father to a tragedy, her mother currently works longs hours as a nurse
and is rarely ever home. Asuna does most of the housework, cooking,
and cleaning on her own. With her extra time, she loves to go on
adventures by herself. Recently, the teachers had been warning the
students of some strange bear that had been lurking in the woods.
Ignoring the warnings, Asuna makes her way to her hill she has made
her second home when she encounters a strange creature. A gatekeeper;
running away to escape from danger only for the creature to grab her, as
she screams a boy appears and saves her. As Asuna sits in class, her
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substitute teacher teaches the legends and myths of Agartha. The

mystery only begins to unfold to her soulful journey.

7. Analyze the social and philosophical issues the film addresses. Make sure you
include the point of view of the movie, the context of the movie, what audience the
movie is targeting, and why. (at least 500 words)
a. From the summaries that I have read about the film, Children Who Chase
Lost Voices is a film that wants to portray the emanating fear, lingering,
and certainly of the mourning of death or even death itself. The main
character is forced to grow up quickly and is very oftenly left alone. The
substitute who later becomes one of the main focuses is in search for his
long lost wife in hopes to bring her back from the dead. Though, Asuna,
the main character lost her father at a vulnerable young age she never
wished upon her father’s return. But she wishes to see the boy she briefly
encountered for he had brought her a peace of mind through the brief
encounter they had. This perception of death through the different
characters is a great depiction in the certain religions and attitudes we as
humans have towards death, in my opinion. When Asuna and her teacher
wander and adventure in the “thriving” land of Agartha they realize that
those who live there have no regards to tolerating those from the
topside. Agartha has been struggling to thrive again like it once did
before the topsiders intruded and pursued eternal life as well as insight
to constructing the topside to thrive as Agartha did. However, all the
topsiders brought to Agartha was war and catastrophe. As a result,
Agartha had sealed the gates and created gatekeepers to protect their
land from the intrusion of topsiders. I believe that their are many
political and philosophical points all throughout the movie and it is
difficult to pick out all of them. Another aspect of the movie that I had
taken note to was when Asuna and her teacher were being pursued by the
lurkers of the shadows. The lurkers job was to kill any topsiders who had
entered into Agartha. Shin, another important character throughout the
movie said that even though the lurkers may be perceived as bad they are
a necessity to the overall functionality of Agartha as a whole. I found this
intriguing because what Shin really said is that without evil we cannot
have good. Without either one we cannot have a working system. Near
the end of the movie, the professor is able to pursue his end goal in
finding the god that will grant him whatever wish he pleases. Before I
continue on with what the teacher wishes. I wanted to take note of how
the “God” was depicted. It was only a structure made up of eyes. The
professor goes on to wish for his wife back but in order for it to bring his
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wife back he needed a living vessel. As Asuna runs towards the God, it
takes Asuna as its living vessel. Last but not least, it takes one of the
professor's eyes. For he had liked and wanted to protect Asuna from the
very beginning but he turned a blind eye to pursue what he really wanted.
As Asuna’s body takes form of his wife, Shin enters into the scene and
demands Asuna back. Shin mentions to the professor that he should
never have grieved for so long for it only made him mourn something his
wife would have disapproved of. Shin destroys the process of reviving the
professor's wife and the professor mutters to his wife, “I cannot live a
life without you.” When the wife speaks and caresses her lovers face she
says, “Find your happiness”, and dissolves where Asuna laid. The movie
covers, life, death, happiness, and many more points.

8. What is your response to the message of the film? Why do you respond this way?
Show that you have been thinking about your own thinking here and the
biases/assumptions about the world you bring to your viewing. Did the film change
the way you view the subject? Why, or why not? (at least 250 words)
a. I cried at the end of the film because of the overall moral of the film.
Death can be portrayed in so many perspectives and whether your
perspective is black, white, or grey it is beautiful in so many unique ways.
You can go on mourning a death and wanting the physical being to come
back to you or you can let go and live on. I, myself, do not fully
understand and comprehend the emotions and perspectives I have on
death for I have never encountered one. However, I know when a close
family or friend does pass away I will be torn and tears will be shed.
Would I like to cry, no, I would much rather go on celebrating what they
have done and the contributions they have made. Funerals should be
happy because I believe that mourning for a long period means that one
has not comprehended the inevitable. Death is the only certainty in life
and if we are to spend time dwelling on it, what use are we and are we
really living? Should mourning occur, of course but only so much
mourning could be of any use. I say all of this in confidence as if I fully
understand the process of healing but I am just naive as those who have
not first handedly experienced death. When I think about the future I
question if my spouse will live as long as I or if I will live as long as my
spouse. Same question goes for the kids that I may or may not bare in my
lifetime. The difficulty of handling that kind of death would have what
effect on me? I have no clue. But, I know it would be one hell of of
gigantic toll. When I was younger I had wanted to die when my parents
died because I had felt such a strong connection with them. So, what is
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that to say when I lose my soul mate or child? These are questions I
cannot answer and these are questions that form from my fear. Who said
it would happen to begin with? Have I been scared of death, most
certainly but I have come to terms with the fact and am fearful of the
process prior to. This film has only allowed me to affirm my beliefs that
going is a solemn happiness.

9. What cultural differences did you notice in the film? (philosophical outlook, humor,
architecture, customs, clothes, cities, weather, food, music, dancing, lifestyles, etc.)?
What did you learn about history, economics or politics?
a. In foreign films there will definitely be either minimal or maximal
cultural differences. This obicoulsy depends on the film you are
watching. Some of the differences that I saw throughout the film,
Children Who Chase Lost Voices, were how the characters treated their
elders or those who were at a higher level educationally and respectively.
The characters would always bow down in respect every time a greeting
was necessary, even if the elder was a stranger. Another major cultural
difference was the way the characters viewed and valued their education.
The parents, no matter how much they worked and missed their kids
would always make sure that their kids were on time and never missed a
day of school. They strongly emphasized the importance of attending.
The educational system was also different as well. The teachers paid
particular attention to the students and were always concerned with the
wellbeing of each of them. There were many other cultural differences
throughout the movie such as how a person takes to the angered
reactions of another and their strategies to help resolve the outcome
itself. It is hard to pick out and name all of them but I believe that
everyone would have a different perspective on the cultural differences
since everyone grew up differently and have opposing cultures that may
either relate or not to the film’s culture.
10. What techniques did the filmmaker use that were different from what you see in the
films you normally watch? Think about lighting, dialogue, atmosphere, setting,
music, and how the filmmaker might have upon your own biases, etc. Read “How
to View a Film” on page 49 of your Humanities textbook incorporate what you
learn in the reading in your analysis of the filmmaking process. (150 words)
a. The filmmakers technique is different from the beginning. The style of
the movie is different because it is animated rather than live action.
Anime is a form of film that I do watch regularly but the style of this
particular film was different from the usual anime that I would watch.
The characters are drawn less intense and their facial features as well as
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body features are very subtle. The filmmaker makes sure that the
lighting is very dramatic in order to emphasize the moments and
intensity of the scene. When I had flipped to page 49 in our textbook it
was the title and beginning of our Romantic and Passionate Love unit. But,
I believe you meant page 39. However, after reading the article it made
me question and gave me the desire to watch the movie again with the
questions asks all throughout the passage. In anime, I had not really
wondered if there were any specific angle shots for the cinematography
to become more aesthetically pleasing like in live action movies. Along
with how real actions shots might differ from anime shots. As the
passage gave me questions that I should answer, I realized that there was
a lot more thought that goes behind the transitions between each scene
and then I understood why it takes so long to produce a well-made film.
The details that we usually do not take note to are the most crucial. As we
watch movies we pay more attention to the characters and the main plot
but everything in between is the hardest part to produce.
11. Discuss how what you saw in the film relates to one of the assigned readings or class
discussions we have had. Be specific! (150 words)
a. The film specifically emphasizes death and happiness all together. This
reminded me of our Happiness in the Good Life unit. The second main
character throughout the whole film is hanging onto his wife’s death,
sulking. He seeks for a land that can grant his wish of bringing his wife
back to life. As I watched this moment in the film I remembered when
one of the Daoist teachers sat in the tub and banged an object on the side
as he sang. As his friend comes in to criticize him about his childish
behavior following his wife’s death the man essentially says I am
replicating her and respecting the life she lived. His friend had thought
mourning and showing sadness was the proper way to show your sign of
love, gratitude, and respect for your lost loved one but the man sitting in
the tub was celebrating her life. The second main character did not
realize that he had been going about the pursuit of his wife’s life back in
an odd way until the end. He essentially raises his wife from the dead but
with conflict she has to go soon again. Yet, the last words she says, is
that he, himself, needs to find his own happiness.

Why do you think I assign an international film?

b. I believe that you wanted us to view an international film to have a better
understanding of different perspectives, as well as cultures around the
world that was expressed through the art form of cinematography. You
did not want us to view a movie tainted through the Hollywood filtration.