"The Suzume" Makoto Shinkai depicts the confrontation with disaster and the recovery of the heart

A craving for “touch” that stands out after the coronavirus pandemic

Corresponding to the theme of "mourning the land," there is a line that is casually uttered in the play: "The number of lonely places has increased." As a matter of fact, the number of places where it would be natural for Goto to occur is increasing across Japan. One of the factors that caused this was the ``Corona Pandemic,'' which may have had an impact on the story of ``The Suzume.''

At the aforementioned media preview, director Shinkai said, ``I started thinking about the project (in earnest) around January 2020.'' The proposal was completed in the spring of the same year. It can be said that this was the strongest shock to people's psyche during the coronavirus pandemic, and it coincides with the timing of people's refraining from going out following the declaration of the first state of emergency. The mood of those days, when people disappeared from the town and it became a ghost town, and people felt lonely as they were confined, can be felt throughout ``The Suzume.''

“The Suzume” (C) 2022 “The Suzume” Production Committee

The scene in which Sota is trapped due to a certain situation, and the depiction of being unable to go to the eternal world beyond the door, directly evokes the coronavirus pandemic, and Suzume and Sota travel around the country and interact with the people of the area. The emotional nature of the story is probably due to the fact that he experienced a situation where he was unable to go outside. Also, what stands out in the play is the act of "touching." Suzume hugs the people she meets on her journey as she bids farewell. This might not have been a particularly memorable scene before the coronavirus, but judging by the way it was directed and the number of times it appeared, it seems like it was intentional.

There are depictions of Sota becoming a chair, making it easier for him to ``touch'' (sitting on a chair, standing on a chair, etc.), and the psychology of ``wanting to touch someone you love'' is at work here as well. It seems that. For Suzume, the fact that Souta has become a chair makes her feel casual, but there is also a sadness that ``it's not real''...The direction is also good. It incorporates the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying changes in state of mind and cravings, and it has the feel of a ``current movie'' with depictions of the fear of earthquakes using emergency earthquake early warnings, the spread of electronic money, and social media, etc. is forming.

Unprecedented entertainment depiction born from the pursuit of reality