Belle

Original title:	Belle
Director:	Mamoru Hosoda
Release:	Cinema
Running time:	124 minutes
Release date:	14 january 2022
Rating:

In real life, Suzu is a self-conscious teenager stuck in her small mountain town with her father. But in the virtual world of U, Suzu becomes Belle, a musical icon with over 5 billion followers. A difficult double life for the shy Suzu, which will take an unexpected flight when Belle meets the Beast, a creature as fascinating as it is frightening. A virtual chase between Belle and the Beast begins, at the end of which Suzu will discover who she is.

Marianne Velma's Review

If Hayao Miyazaki has the gift of transporting us to extraordinary universes on the back of a bus cat, a castle with bird legs or a neurotic magic broom, Mamoru Hosoda prefers to explore the marvelous possibilities of our real world. How does he do this? By traveling in time (The Crossing of Time), by inventing virtual worlds (Summer Wars), or creatures more human than us (The Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast). After a long exploration of the trials and tribulations of the family, this talented storyteller returns to the initiatory tale with Belle.

On the surface, Belle seems to be heading in the same direction as Summer Wars, as viewers discover, as in the 2009 feature, a life-size virtual universe populated by "kawaii" avatars. The beauty of some of the shots goes beyond simple homage, as Hosoda seems to push the limits of animation with each new film. Except that the creatures that roam the corners of this digital space reflect the inner selves of the humans who hide behind them. The heroine Suzu, introverted in real life, is thus transformed into a bewitching singer in this artificial world. Only the freckles on her face give a glimpse of her original DNA.

However, this duality is not the main theme of Belle. Instead, the film focuses on otherness. Hosoda thus ventures on a reinterpretation of the Beauty and the Beast tale. Visually first, with the multiplication, in false pretence, of graphic references to the Disney version. Metaphorically then, with the revival of narrative motifs such as the study of trauma, the ability to see beyond appearances or empathy. The path of self-discovery also leads to the understanding of others.

The moral of the story, less romantic than expected, fits perfectly into the collective pysche of Japanese society. A selfless good deed is a real asset for individuals, even if it can sometimes have unfortunate consequences for oneself. The film also deals with a burning issue of violence that unfortunately all nations must face. While this purity is undeniable, it doesn't manage to touch our hearts as much as some of Hosoda's earlier films. The connection will ultimately be more cerebral than emotional, yet Belle remains a fascinating show whose humanity will keep you warm for the holidays.

Belle
Written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda
Produced by Nozomu Takahashi, Yuichiro Saito, Toshimi Tanio, Genki Kawamura
Starring Kaho Nakamura, Ryō Narita, Shōta Sometani, Tina Tamashiro, Lilas Ikuta, Kōji Yakusho, Takeru Satoh
Edited by Shigeru Nishiyama
Music by Taisei Iwasaki, Ludvig Forssell, Yuta Bandoh, Miho Sakai
Production company : Studio Chizu
Distributed by Toho (Japan), Wild Bunch (France)
Release date : July 15, 2021 (Cannes), July 16, 2021 (Japan), December 29, 2022 (France), January 14, 2022 (United States),
Running time : 124 minutes

Seen on October 14, 2021 at the Pathé theater.

Marianne Velma's Mark:

Mulder's Review

"Belle is the film that I have always dreamed of creating and that I can finally make today thanks to the outcome of my past films. In this film I explore romance, action and suspense as well as deeper themes such as life and death. I hope it will be a great entertainment show" - Mamoru Hosoda

Japanese animation never ceases to renew itself and to amaze us. Far from being a simple mechanic perfectly oiled like the various animated films of the current Hollywood studios and not possessing the same human and financial resources to impose themselves as works promoted to an unavoidable success with each release of a new film, Japanese animation manages to stand up to the American behemoths and to offer us original films, as intelligent in their way of proposing strong and engaging stories as they are aesthetically beautiful. Japanese animation has not only often been the source of inspiration for many American studios but has also allowed them to put forward strong themes. Certainly the new film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda stands out as a true masterpiece and has the same emotional impact as the discovery of Akira by Katsuhiro Ōtomo.

Belle (Ryū to sobakasu no hime) is to date Mamoru Hosoda's most ambitious and innovative film not that his previous films were not also undeniable successes like The Crossing of Time Toki o kakeru shōjo) (2006), Summer Wars (Samā wōzu) (2009), Les Enfants loups, Ame et Yuki (Ōkami kodomo no Ame to Yuki) (2012), Le Garçon et la Bête (Bakemono no ko) (2015), Miraï, ma petite sœur (Mirai no Mirai) (2018) but Belle allows him to illustrate in the best possible way themes that are close to his heart. In the same way we feel at the level of animation a real revolution compared to his previous films by juxtaposing the real world and a virtual world that allows many people to be virtually what they would like to be in real life. The animation of Belle is just impressive by its quality and emotional strength that comes out in its many action scenes but also more intimate moments. By its form, Belle is Japan's answer to the numerous American blockbusters that are omnipresent worldwide. It is not a coincidence that Belle was presented worldwide at the Cannes Film Festival and more recently at the Animation is Film Festival in Los Angeles in the presence of Mamoru Hosoda.

Suzu is an introverted high school girl who has trouble fitting in at school and lives in a rural village. After a terrible accident that killed her mother while she was trying to save a child's life from drowning, Suzu lost her self-confidence. She used to enjoy singing with her mother and composing songs in her past. The death of her mother, who according to her preferred to give her life to save a young unknown child than to stay with her and her father, changed her life forever. When she learns about the existence of a huge virtual world called U, she invents a virtual character named Bell (whose name will become Belle) and who is a singer as beautiful as she is captivating. She was a huge success and became one of the most adored virtual characters. However, one day, one of her concerts is interrupted by a monstrous animal creature that turns out to be chased by numerous elements of the police force worthy of superheroes. Suzu will try to understand who this monstrous creature is and its motivation.

Belle finds her inspiration in the tale of Beauty and the Beast as well as in the novel Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and other films dealing with virtual universes (such as the Matrix). The result is a film mixing scenes taking place in the real world of a small village near Tokyo and in the universe of U whose immensity and beauty make Belle an unforgettable entertainment. A real cinematographic immersion experience with different levels of reading, Belle takes an interesting look at the development and the place in our lives of social networks and new technologies. It is impossible not to see in this film the will of the director Mamoru Hosoda to abode again themes that are close to his heart such as the integration in our society of people who have difficulty believing in it or emotionally wounded by a tragic past.

While Belle could not have been a simple Japanese animation blockbuster, director Mamoru Hosoda prefers to direct his film but a third act of a rare emotional strength in which Suzu will have to help two children mistreated by their father. Mamoru Hosoda reveals a will not to sink into sensationalism at all costs and makes of this virtual fable an intelligent reflection on our current society. It is impossible not to see in this film a real adventure film reminding us of The NeverEnding Story (1984) by Wolfgang Petersen. Belle is also a continuity of Mamoru Hosoda's previous films and it is therefore not by chance, as in Ready Player One, that we see visual allusions to Summer Wars as well as to other films of his.

We also suspect that Belle is for Mamoru Hosoda a way to pay tribute to the Disney films that have fed his imagination and made him want to become a director. After having worked at Toei Animation, Madhouse and having created his own animation studio Studio Chizu, Belle is his best film to date and especially one of the unmissable cinematographic events of this year that we have not finished hearing about we can already bet on the Oscar for best animated film... In the meantime, we can only encourage you to discover this film in theaters in France on December 29 and in the United States on January 14.

Seen on December 04, 2021

Mulder's Mark: