SUZUME (すずめの戸締まり) (2022)

Genre: CG Animation
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Cast: Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu 
Runtime: 2 hr 2 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 9 March 2023

Synopsis:  A coming-of-age story for the 17-year-old protagonist, Suzume, set in various disaster-stricken locations across Japan, where she must close the doors causing devastation. Suzume’s journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I’m looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly drawn by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob… Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near. Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster.

Movie Review:

Suzume comes three years after Makoto Shinkai's Weathering with You (2019). The concept of this film was conceived just before the global pandemic hit, and had most of its production planned and done when the world was experiencing lots of fears and uncertainties. Yet, there’s no stopping in producing a work that’s not just beautiful, but painfully poignant.

The film opens by following an ordinary girl named Suzume, who lives in a small town at Miyazaki in Kyushu. She had a brief encounter with a mysterious man named Sota, who was looking for abandoned places. Fuelled by curiosity, she went looking for him, only to encounter a door which seemingly brings her into an eerily familiar dimension. While the man she was looking for was nowhere to be found, she attempted to get into the other dimension through the door but it was to no avail. That’s when a stone which she accidentally misplaced sprung into life, transforming into the form of a white cat. Subsequently, she realised the door was linked to the tremors felt on the ground, that the column in the sky, a “worm”, was what stemmed out from the door and will cause disaster to befall at places. She later learned that Sota was there to close the doors, to keep people safe. But in a twist of events, he was cursed and his entire being was sealed into a child’s chair, and Suzume journeyed with him (a chair) to hunt down the keystone (the white cat).

The journey of Suzume traveling up north from Japan’s Miyazaki was nothing but a great visual treat. The people she encountered and sights through Ehime, getting on the bullet train to Tokyo, then even to the car ride to Tohoku. Each place has its own flavour and colour, which are all so pretty it inspires traveling. The adventure Suzume embarked on with a “chair” was nothing short of entertaining too. Imagine watching a girl having to chase after a chair running after a cat… just that scene alone should give you an idea of how comical it was. Just a small trivia about a scene at Suzume’s bullet train ride. If you’ve ever taken it to Tokyo from the south, you’d also know that there is only a very brief part where one could view Mount Fuji (and you have to sit on the correct side!). That moment when Suzume missed Mount Fuji was an incredibly relatable moment for this reviewer because the exact same thing (including checking Google Maps) happened. That’s how accurate it is!

As with Makoto Shinkai’s previous two works, they all make loose connections with natural disasters but it’s possibly the first time when it’s being referenced more obviously. Though it might evoke negative emotions from people who remember the 3.11 Tohoku Earthquake, it was the director’s intention to painfully remind viewers of what happened; and not have it forgotten or diluted by the ongoing pandemic. Having a being sealed into a chair, seemingly also reflects on the real struggles and helplessness of how one felt in having to exercise restraint and cope with all the restrictions to curb the spread of the disease.

In terms of sound, both the music and voice acting are commendable efforts. It’s the third time Makoto Shinkai has teamed up with RADWIMPS to create the music for the movie. In addition, there’s also composer Kazuma Jinnoichi, a seasoned composer for film and game music, along with a fresh voice, Toaka - a TikTok singer - to give a mystical touch to the title track, “Suzume”, giving the overall film music a solid punch. The voices of Suzume and Sota were also carefully selected through auditions. In particular, Matsumura Hokuto, who voiced Sota, was such a natural you wouldn’t believe that his regular job is being a member of an idol group called SixTONES. For fans of Makoto Shinkai films, you’d also notice a familiar voice - which is none other than Kamiki Ryunosuke, who voiced Tachibana Taki in Your Name (2016). He played a character named Serizawa Tomoya, who is quite a key character in the latter half of the film.

All in all, Suzume is a film that is very characteristically Makoto Shinkai, in terms of art, storytelling and themes. It’s a leveled up film that has proven its potential with its box office revenue result exceeding past records and current blockbusters. While the overarching themes of adventure and self-discovery may sound all too cliched, they complemented the work well. The film has also inspired a once disaster stricken town in Iwate to set up “door”, to “let visitors make memories here, and experience the town’s good sides”. Perhaps its influence is not as groundbreaking as a movement like the Renaissance, but one could not deny the cultural impact the film has on society: to remember and to recover. We are more agile and resilient than we think.

Movie Rating:

(In director Makoto Shinkai’s own words, it’s a “theatrical music experience” — delectable, packed with adventure and meaning)

Review by Tho Shu Ling