Review of A Whisker Away

I saw this movie with some friends who were pretty excited to see it, so I went in knowing nothing other than the headlines I skimmed online describing "great representation of depression" or something like that. Coming out, I have to say I was sorely disappointed. This movie does a great job of making you think you're watching something better than you are. The plot is filled with holes yet somehow managed to be predictable, supernatural elements relied far too much on the "it works this way because it's magic" excuse, and the characters all feel half-written and transparent. The best way I could describethis movie would be "trying way too hard to be a Ghibli movie."

I probably enjoyed the art the most, but it wasn't anything special by today's standards. The soundtrack wasn't memorable enough for me to praise it, but wasn't bad enough to complain about either. Sadly these two things alone aren't enough to say my time was well spent. In this way it could be compared to a movie like Fireworks, whose story wasn't particularly engaging or unique, but had outstanding visuals and a brilliant soundtrack.