Watches
November 21, 2020
The more Obayashi films I see, the more I realize there are two very distinct sides to the man. He's mostly famous for his zany, weird and over-the-top films, but throughout he's oeuvre he also directed plenty of subdued, more commercially-oriented movies. This is one of those, with just a little Obayashi magic on top to make it stand out.
Yoshiyama is on cleanup duty. When she's done cleaning the lab a canister falls and the fumes that get released make her faint. The next day an earthquake hits the town she lives in. But then something weird happens to her, and she travels back a day in time. Knowing what is about to happen, so tries to warn the people she loves.
The Little Girl Who Conquered Time is a very gentle, sweet and loveable little film. The sci-fi elements are minimalistic, the drama is light, performances are good and there's a little pre-finale sequence that gives the film that bit of extra flair it needed. Obayashi was a talented man, I'm happy I still have quite a ways to go.