1991 Movie
Dir. Isao Takahata · Japan · Japanese
A quiet drama about nostalgia
This beautiful, realistic, and nostalgic anime movie about childhood is one that almost anyone can relate to. Set in the year of 1982, twenty-seven-year-old Taeko Okajima is traveling to the countryside by train. Along her journey, she gets flashbacks of her childhood: mostly in elementary school, stealing glances at a boy, and navigating puberty. The movie goes back and forth between past and present, easily making one long for sun-filled summers of yesteryear and silly jokes between playfriends. As well as telling a story about Taeko’s past, Only Yesterday also tells a story about her present, and the combined realism of the plotline with the beautiful animation grips you and doesn’t let go. Only Yesterday truly feels like home.
In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.
"A(nother) animated marvel from one of cinema's unsung maestros."
— David Jenkins
"Like "Kaguya," it functions as a highly sensitive and empathetic consideration of the situation of women in Japanese society-but it's also a breathtaking work of art on its own."
— Glenn Kenny
Oppie A is a contributing writer at A Good Movie to Watch, reviewing films and shows across the major streaming services.
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