Suzume

Makoto Shinkai's spectacular fantasy adventure follows a teenager as she travels across Japan, confronting grief and the legacy of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

17-year-old Suzume lives with her aunt in rural Japan, still carrying the grief of losing her mother in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. After encountering a mysterious young man named Souta, she sets out on a supernatural journey across Japan to close portals that unleash disasters. Along the way, Suzume confronts the memories and emotions she has long tried to leave behind.

Curator’s note

A wild ride of mischievous cats, talking chairs, interdimensional portals and supernatural disasters, Suzume combines Makoto Shinkai’s signature visual spectacle with a deeply human story of grief, family and coming-of-age.

Known for his luminous animation and breathtaking depictions of rural landscapes and cityscapes, Shinkai transforms abandoned places across Japan into sites of memory and reflection. Beneath its fantastical adventure lies a moving exploration of loss, resilience and the process of learning to live with life's shaping events.

Like many of Shinkai’s young female protagonists, Suzume navigates a world transformed by forces beyond her control. Her path through a landscape marked by disaster mirrors her own experience of grief, as the film explores the connections between personal loss, collective trauma and the possibility of healing.