Hello and welcome. It is the wish of every person to experience amazement in their day-to-day affairs—this is exactly what you get in Weathering with You, a film that takes us through an amazing journey on a living weather.
The story began when I could not sleep and was looking for something interesting until I saw those photos with uneven landscapes covered with continuous rain. The moment arrived when the gentle tapping of raindrops changed from just being there in the background, into an emotional call that seemed to say “plunge headlong into this extremely touching story.” After clicking on it, the downpour from my screen washed off my rain also.
We are introduced to the movie’s core as soon as an ambitious boy makes an encounter with a bold girl underneath some glowing umbrellas in the rain. The first words they exchange – quick, to the point, but infused with a sense of isolation that one gets at times – were captivating. There have been moments when I tried reaching out to people while moving in a crowd alone, and it was very touching to see two completely unknown individuals forming some kind of weak alliance in such terrible weather conditions. And through animation, nothing was left unsaid; it showed that their environment was indeed real by drawing each raindrop’s path on glass and any little bit of intimacy shared among them.
The turning point occurs in Weathering with You where one character poses a daring question; what if someone had absolute control over natural elements? It takes a different turn from being serious about life issues to becoming hopeful upon witnessing an unusual act of nature – for example, emergence of sunlight from behind thick clouds after many days. However, even this amazing sight required certain sacrifices. This is where things changed course again: happiness which demanded some price.
I will leave out most part of the next act but it can be summarized that it explores how right or wrong it may be to use such authority. The way they bring about impromptu sunshine leaves you feeling like you’ve experienced it somewhere before too. But who could ride on such happy feelings without noticing the lurking trouble beneath an out-of-season clear sky? Combining breathtaking visuals with thought-provoking messages, the film goes beyond mere decoration—the sky itself becomes a metaphor for freedom!
In the midst of these big scenes, Weathering with You still manages to be intimately quiet at times. In one such moment they take cover from the rain in an old attic loft where they share some food in the dim evening with the help of a candle. This part is particularly heartwarming as even their simple acts of kindness or rather sharing smiles between each other could still appear as complete transformations given that they are alone together but for a short while and may not be safe from the rain outside as well. That scene took me back to those moments when we would stay awake for so long conversing about nothing because at such moments everything around us ceased to exist leaving only one-on-one interaction behind.
Director Makoto Shinkai does not overload viewer with information through his descriptions of nature (for example, steam over hatches, sparkling lights in puddles). These details enhance the setting: the city is depicted as a place that suffers due to abnormal weather conditions while its people are dreaming about tomorrow with clear sky and no rain. The movie makes us see what is going on around like they do with each other. Such kind of approach grows naturally from environment and adds value to it alongside with main events of story.
As the story moves on towards its end, it becomes impossible for the young couple to escape into pleasant places for much longer ones. With each subsequent scene that follows, the impending rain grows more serious until a point where it feels like there is no hope left anymore – just another metaphor for their doomed love affair! Every time I saw a bird’s-eye view of the town bathed in bright sunshine under those immense black clouds, I felt triumphant yet uneasy at the same time, knowing that nothing comes without a price and therefore keeping my guard up because trouble might be near again!
The emotional strands are well connected towards the end of Weathering with You. The protagonists are left with a very difficult decision that makes them choose between their personal happiness and the general good. There were times I remembered when I would follow my own happiness but it would lead to a lot of people getting hurt and therefore this part of the film was very sincere to me. It was not just another one happy end, which we could predict even from the beginning. And at some point I felt relieved because there was nothing left for me to do but accept it; let some rain fall on its own.
As soon as the rain started falling again and the credits rolled up, I remained seated in a peaceful silence. The view out of my window changed – now it seemed more lively as I had just seen how hope could be exchanged for something else rationally called sacrifice but emotionally engaging too. The lesson that I drew from Weathering with You was simple; we may chase after one thing and find out that what we wanted comes at a price or in other words cost more than we expected but still there is nothing braver than making a decision to spread hope around during terrible events.
To sum up, this is not only eye candy about spreading warmth in cold world. It speaks to those who wish they could turn rain into moments of unity, offering great entertainment with deep meaning. It serves as a reminder that no matter how endless the rain may appear today; most devastating tempests will usher new dawn tomorrow, provided one remains ready for such transformational eventuality by sacrificing present comfort upon altar of future greatness everlastingly beckoning all humanity towards its inevitable destiny!
