Review of Your Name. (2016) by Emmanuel S — 03 Jul 2017

While I missed Your Name. upon its initial Chicago release three months ago due to the throes of late-semester work, I was able to see it during a second run at the Gene Siskel Film Center, and I'm pretty thankful for that.

I firmly believe that all movies benefit from the communal and enlarged experience of seeing it on the big screen, and the warmness of Your Name. was tangible throughout the runtime-and it wasn't just because people were close together in a nearly sold out theater.

The life force of the colors and images, both glossy and real, paired with an original and bittersweet take on a familiar premise made for an overall charmer. The script's back-and-forth structure can be a little jarring in the third act-which feels bumpy compared to what it follows-but the humor and heart and redemptive nonetheless.

An animated Japanese body-swap comedy/drama, the movie follows Taki and Mitsuha, a Tokyo teenage boy and small-town teenage girl, respectively. They begin to switch bodies whenever they wake up each morning, and while their shifts in behavior confuse their families and friends, the two in question have not much recollection of their time in the other one's body, believing it to be nothing more than a recurring dream.

The impacts of the situation show themselves in the form of documentations of each day's activities and shifts in each of their personal lives, and with this, Taki and Mitsuha try to figure out how to adjust to each other's lives and, if possible, discern the cause of this all.

Without spoiling anything, it's the second half of Your Name. that shines in its twist on the formula. It isn't just the cultural and technical differences than one would typically find in a comparable American production, but the way in which it ties in elements of science fiction, fantasy, and romantic storytelling in the forms one may not expect.

There's a cosmic, magical nature to it all that shows itself more and more as the movie progresses, often punctuated with humor that, while silly, knows when to reign in it in order to not undercut the human elements.

Matoko Shinkai's writing and directing skates the line between absurd and serious enough, and tonal progression compliments the plot progression nicely. In fact, the handle on tone helps distract from some of the more jarring elements of the script, most of which occur during the second half and namely the last third as act two turns into act three.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the troubles in Your Name. arise when it becomes less conventional and more daring in its blend of genres. It has a handle of its visual and thematic motifs, but it doesn't quite have the same control of switching between locations and characters isn't as deft.

This also disrupts the flow at parts, and it's quite unfortunate that it happens to unfold during the latter half, which is where a lot of the meatiest material is. Nonetheless, the conclusion is satisfying and organic, with none of the (rather mild) issues that the rest of the movie has.

It's a story that's at once feels accessible and fresh, looks beautiful, and has a true emotional core. Its problems may exist, but they stem from those involved trying something different-laziness is not to be seen here.

It's especially refreshing after having seen Despicable Me 3 last night to feel the love and attention that Shinkai and company injected into Your Name., making for something that may be a bit sloppy like its two protagonists, but real in greater measure, even amongst its premise.

8.1/10, B+, really good, definitely above average, etc.