La casa tra le onde

A lovely visual treat with an inventive story idea.

I love that this was a contemplative movie with serious culture shots fired through it. From vintage snack treats, to the feeling of growing up and the old buildings and places you frequent then lose but the memories remain. The intro credits sequence of the buildings getting built as their lives continue across the process was very well done. Strong japanese city details from the views to the sounds. Very authentic and detailed.

It is a long movie and the last 1/4 where they're jumping into the ocean to save each other got repetitive and didn't really yield the payoff for the action it delivered.

The destination wasn't as deep or perfect as it could have been but I think we knew that was going to happen by the half way mark. This movie posed thoughts rather than delivered answers and it was as much about the journey as it was the destination.

It's great to have another movie with no baddies (antagonist) or violence in it that can still hold your attention and activate your mind. Western cinema has stagnated on that concept and can't seem to think it's way out of that cul de sac. It is to Japan's credit that they can.