This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
jaewon’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
“I sort of feel my confidence slipping. But I’m glad I came with you today. I feel better sitting by the ocean.”
Kiki’s Delivery Service has a childlike exterior that’s bright and full of magic, yet shows that a layer underneath, it’s incredibly grounded and character-centric. In appearance and overall tone, it’s generally jovial and colorful, but it’s most resonant moments are when it strikes on ideas of depression, burnout, stress, and just a simple sadness that feels so real, even if it’s small in the grand scheme of things. In an ultimate finale that’s admittedly louder than it needs to be, it’s fulfilling because it’s not constant cheer, it has the emotional spectrum down to a tea.
And yet it’s widely considered a comfort movie (the best one at that) because it’s joy is immense and infectious at full effect. Not just simple laughs but a rejuvenation of the soul. Likability is a significant factor in the comfort we receive from a film, and this movie possesses an abundance of diverse and wholesome characters, including Kiki herself, who is not only relatable but deeply resonant in human emotion.
It’s atmosphere is rich and so thick that you could cut it, it’s a brilliant capture of what it is to be calm and reflect. Staring at a blue sky in the grass, staring out into the beach, from the sand or from the sky, and sheltering from the rain in a cozy bakery; it’s a series of comforting images that you can almost feel.
I think I’ll love this movie even more with time, especially into adulthood. It’s a surprisingly mature story of Kiki attempting to make it in the world, time can only tell but I imagine this ages like fine wine. That grows on you as you grow older, like, well, wine… probably.
Hug-like warmth for the winter.
Thanks for reading!
