MIFF 2017: In this Corner of the World / Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni

The Melbourne International Film Festival is back and the movie that I wanted to watch is 'In this Corner of the World' which I have read good things about. Its a poignant movie about a young woman Suzu who lives in Hiroshima during WW2 and its about the world through her eyes.

In this Corner of the World is a beautifully painted anime with a water colourly feel. When the story gets dark in the second half, it will definitely pull at your heartstrings especially in regards to the suffering of the normal people and their attempt to survive during the hardships of war and rationing.

However, I thought the movie had pacing problems and could have easily shaved 15 minutes from its 2 hour runtime and no vital information would have been lost. There were scenes that went too long or were not necessary and I got a bit bored in the first half.

While the movie is certainly moving, it doesn't do anything that I've not seen from many movies and doramas about WW2 and I don't feel like it does it well enough to warrant a recommendation. Its ok but no Grave of Fireflies.