Look Back (2024)

4 Stars (out of 4)

Drawing Room

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Based on a one-shot manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, creator of the amazingly bonkers Chainsaw Man, Look Back is about as far away from that as you can imagine. It seems very personal, made by an artist who is asking themselves why they do what they do, and perhaps working through some grief or other dark emotions. Fujino (voiced by Yumi Kawai) loves drawing manga, and is the creator of a popular four-strip series in her school paper. Her teacher asks her if she'd be willing to give up some space to another creator, and Fujino agrees, confident that no one is as talented as she is. She's gobsmacked when the strip runs, and it's gorgeous, observations of physical spaces rich in light and shadow and beautiful angles. The creator is Kyomoto (Mizuki Yoshida), a shut-in, who is forever camped in her room. Fujino goes to visit Kyomoto, and thanks to a hastily-drawn comic, they wind up becoming fast friends. They begin working together and, over time, achieve a measure of fame for books like Shark Kick. Then, of course, the other shoe drops, but it's nothing predictable or rote. This delicate wisp of a movie, running only 58 minutes, turns non-linear and imagines various outcomes to the girls' story, exploring regret, guilt, and love. The movie is meticulously designed, focusing on quiet details like the girls' drawing spaces, the weather, and time passing. It's a small miracle.