Review: Look Back – A charming and cute trick

Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda
Starring Natsuki Deguchi, Aju Makita, Furi Nanase, Rokka Okada

7/10

Set in a gorgeous part of Akita Prefecture, Look Back is a sweet drama about friendship and childhood memories and the perfect movie to kick off the Japanese Film Festival. The fact that it’s also directed by arthouse darling Hirokazu Koreeda and enjoyed awards at Venice is just a cherry on top.

Although it’d be easy to recommend Look Back to anyone wanting to try the festival, it’s not one of Koreeda’s best. Ironically, that works in the JFF’s favour, as his films tend to be heart-wrenching. Look Back is more cute and upbeat—perfect Saturday afternoon fare. In fact, the landscape shots are so lovely that you might wonder whether the Japanese Tourism Board had a stake in the film (they do sponsor the festival, after all).

Based on a manga by the creator of Chainsaw Man, Look Back follows two middle school girls who team up to develop their manga careers. With one being a shy, shut-in and the other a bubbly joker, they push each other to grow while they work on a manuscript. Compared to Koreeda’s more freeform, Palme d’Or winning, Shoplifters (2018), Look Back is conventional, linear, and one-track. That’s not to say it suffers for this, though. It is easier to follow, but when the film takes a twist in its third act, you have to wonder if the girl’s friendship was being built altruistically or only to set up this twist.

For this reason, the finale feels a little forced. True, it’s propped up by a stunning sequence of hand-drawn animation and a song that tugs at the heartstrings, but when it’s over, you’re not entirely satisfied. The two-character story is just a little too simple. The writers have inflated the power of the duo’s friendship by cutting down the screentime of anyone else, and without any true supporting characters, the film’s world doesn’t extend beyond the boundaries of the screen.

Which is a shame, because Koreeda has charmingly cast Miyu Sasaki (child star of Shoplifters) as Fujino’s big sister. But you’d be remiss not to praise the child stars of Look Back too, especially Furi Nanase (young Fujino), who has the difficult task of carrying almost half the film alone. Ironically, their older acting counterparts (Natsuki Deguchi and Aju Makita) are a little less composed and suffer from having to play characters half their age.

The result is that Look Back is charming but thin. You won’t pick up any intricacies on a second watch, nor is there much to stick in your mind after. It’s a cute story with pretty scenery with a cheap twist to help you tear up, and the fact that it works at all is a commendation to the acting and production team involved.

BRANDEN ZAVALETA

Look Back plays as part of the Japanese Film Festival Australia at Palace Raine Square on Wednesday, November 25 at 6pm and Saturday, November 28 at 3:15pm. Tickets are on sale now from jffau.jpf.go.jp