4 days ago
Lost In Starlight Will Rip Out Your Heart But It's Good
Lost In Starlight is for the hyper-independent person in your life, that's thrown any idea of letting somebody love them in the trash. It's a movie to 'ugly cry' to, to let your guard down for and to watch on your own — unless you want to share tear-soaked snacks with someone.
Set in 2050s Seoul, the animated feature follows hopeful astronaut, Nan-Young (voiced by Kim Tae-ri) and Jay (Hong Kyung) a shy musician, through a new romance, lingering grief and the heartbreaking choice between your soulmate and your lifelong dream.
It has the air of a 2000s romcom, paired with beautifully animated futuristic settings that bring the emotion to a whole new level. Other reviews are already comparing it to the wildly popular anime movie, Your Name (AKA Kimi No Na Wa) based on its visual beauty and how it tugs at the heart strings.
It's a tearjerker from the start, where we're ~so kindly~ treated to a Christmas time tragedy — the death of Nan-young's astronaut mum on Mars. The unprocessed grief has built high walls around her heart, but also sparked her unwavering ambition to follow in her mother's footsteps.
The experience, even in animated terms, is so innately human. How many times do we pour ourselves into our work, into our friendships and into our goals, at hyperspeed, thinking that along the way the grief will find its way out? Unfortunately, it always finds a way to catch up, even when you're an astronaut trying to get to Mars.
Jay unexpectedly walks into her life to show her that there's space for more than her career. Their relationship is a reminder that you can't choose when someone gets to love and support you — you just have to make way for it when it arrives, even when you feel undeserving.
Nan-young's impact on his life is easily summed up with this quote: "Somewhere in the someone who's forever and you on". Her belief in Jay gives him the strength to find his voice, so he too can fulfil his destiny.
If you love a 'he fell first, she fell harder' trope, this film teeters on the edge of it, with a heavy handed sprinkle of 'time limited romance'.
While its backdrops are set in the near (but distant) future, the themes of loss, change and love throughout the film feel more timeless. Emotional impact is shown through plays on light and shadow, as well as colour palette.
It also makes a great case for the longevity of long-distance relationships in the future. If Nan-young and Jay can risk national security by FaceTiming with holograms from the Space Station to Seoul, then whoever you're waiting on a DM from can 100% text back.
Though the lessons are weaved in with more of gentle touch, every loose end comes to a head in the last 30 minutes of the movie, which will likely leave you red-eyed, snotty-nosed and reaching for tissues. Apologies in advance.
It's a balancing act between the darkness of grief and the lightheartedness of romance.
I only wish there was more about Nan-young's experience with love and dealing with loss growing up to really cement how much she's grown.
Lost In Starlight packs the emotion of a 20-episode K-Drama into 96 minutes of visual goodness with a soundtrack that makes you want to text someone you shouldn't. Watch it now on Netflix.
Which movies wreck but also heal your soul?
