Film Review: 'Belle' is a gorgeous look into the power of empowerment
- Benjamin Wiebe
- Jan 28, 2022
- 6 min read
How do you talk about a favourite movie? How do you adequately translate an experience, a myriad of feelings, into words? That is the challenge I find myself running into when discussing Mamoru Hosoda's latest film, Belle. That challenge paralyzed me for the past two weeks. Even though I saw this film twice, on the 12th and 16th of January, I couldn't find the words to describe this film. It was unlike anything else I had seen, despite it's familiar setting, themes, and overall story. The music and score felt lifted from my techno-playlists, and yet it was completely new. Despite the familiar trends, my thoughts on Belle couldn't be described through them.
Belle is all about the moment when your emotions can no longer be described by words, beautifully conveyed in the song "A Million Miles Away".
It took me watching a completely different film, Ridley Scott's The Last Duel (which is actually pretty good, I will do a writeup about it soon...) for me to find the words to describe my experience. Becuase for as similar as Belle is to other coming of age anime stories, it's power was found in the world it created. It's a world that is simultaneously like the one we know, where towns feel simultaneously too crowded and infinitely lonely. It's a world with an abundant internet, where socialization is replicated, where you can be a new you. It's a world were good and bad fade to grey. And it's a film where beauty is found in that grey.
I haven't mentioned the titular beast in this article, but he's a core component of why this film works, animated beautifully. I adore the monster design for his character, and think it's best if you unravel the mystery of his character for yourself.
I may have buried the lede, but ultimately, that is what Belle is about. As a retelling of the French classic, Beauty and the Beast, Belle is an exploration of what it means to be beautiful in the modern day. And no other film has been this much of a fever dream inspection of what beauty is. Hosoda Blends multiple animation styles together, utilizing both computer-generated and hand-drawn animation, to tell a story about embracing selflessness. There is no other film quite like Belle, juggling a million different themes, a handful of plotlines, and bringing them together to make a statement of what true courage is. At the end of the day, that's why Belle works so much for me; in spite of it's meandering nature, it is a story told with precision.
And that precision isn't just found at the script level. While Hosoda's script lays much of the groundwork, Belle could not exist without the animators that brought it too life. The mixed animation style of Belle is a core component to the development of this world. The real world wouldn't be as tangible without the CG world of U, and the musical numbers of U wouldn't feel as big without the smaller, hand-drawn real world to constant. The animation style sells us on the changes between these worlds; where many films about alternate realities fail to make the worlds feel different, Belle succeeds in flying colours. The real world is painted and brought to life perfectly, with the smallest details never being forgotten; whether that's the home button on an iPhone or a stray paintbrush in a messy room. But it isn't limited to the wide shots; Mamaru does fantastic work making the real world feel small through the "editing". When characters talk with one another, emotions are woven into the character design. Embarassment creates stilted movement and a tomato red skin tone. And it works extremely well to create tangible people that have real lives.
This is the attention to detail I love. Water and sweat pop out due to the hand-drawn style.
But in the world of U, nothing is the same. People don't walk on pavement, they float through the sky. People don't live in isolated areas, rather, they socialise and interact everywhere. And people aren't even people; rather, they are the alternate self that they imagine themselves to be. For Suzu, her U persona is known as Belle, being the most beautiful girl on U. But others choose to be small ghosts, or animals, or babies! These characters, animated via computer's, have the ability to show emotions, but don't show them often. Where embarrassment ran the real world, here, intrigue is key. Everyone wants to know who the new songstress Belle is. When Belle's concert is interrupted by the Dragon, it's all people talk about. And while Belle isn't forgotten, the prior deva Peggy Sue is. It's a world defined by being mysterious and talented; defined not by perfection but by discourse. And it makes Suzu's choice to sing not as Belle, but as Suzu, hit like a ton of bricks. Because at the end of the day, another persons wellbeing is worth more than her online following and success.
And speaking of Suzu's singing ability, boy, can she sing. The music composed by
Yûta Bandoh, Ludvig Forssell and Taisei Iwasaki slaps (you in the tearducts) harder than every other song written this year. And it's all elevated by the voices of Kaho Nakamura and Kylie McNeil. Those women, who play Suzu in the Japanese and English versions of the film respectively, have true musical talent. They bring energy to the opening number, U, as well as vulnerability in the latter songs, Lend me your Voice and A Million Miles Away. These songs elevate the cinematography to new heights in ways that nothing else has. They are tightly connected to the greater themes of this film, and deserve all the praise in the world.
And the vocal performances are nothing short of fantastic. While I only saw the original Japanese with subtitles, I have heard nothing but praise for the English cast. And the Japanese cast kills it in the film, with Lilas Ikuta being memorable for her role as the computer genius Hiroka. Similarily, Shôta Sometani is fantastic as the sportsman Kamishin. But Kaho carries this film on her back as Zusu, with every voice crack emphasising the pressure placed on Suzu. This story isn't a walk in the park; It's the story of childhood trauma and coming to terms with what you lost. It's about turning that grief into something inspiring. It's a story that highlights the drawbacks of a virtual world, as well as its benefits. Belle is a story full of nuance, in spite of being an animated film full of energetic musical numbers.
This image goes so hard. It establishes the stakes for Suzu as she prepares for a final performance. And it perfectly highlights this alternate reality internet as a blend of the buzzing city-center and a beautiful garden of computer chips.
Stories are powerful because they resonate with us. It can tell us tales of larger-than-life heroes we long to aspire to. Stories can be warnings of the dangers of excess. And stories can tell us tales of others we never could be. I love stories because of this. And I talk about my own experiences because they shape the way we interact with films. While I am a firm believer that you have to engage with a film on its own terms, I also think that films can have a profound personal effect on our lives. And my experience watching Belle was one of those experiences. I don't think there is any film quite like it.
Maybe the only apt comparison to Belle is Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Both are stylistically brilliant films that use their mediums to be funny, serious, melancholy and content. And both are thematically complex films that at first glance seem to be about a million underdeveloped themes. And yet, as time goes on, and as I reflect on these stories, the true thematic throughline becomes visible. These are both films that reward introspection and reflection. These are stories that become more and more clear as you dive deeper into their creation. And after two interviews, one with Hosoda himself, I feel like I truly understand what this film is doing, and what it is saying. It's a film where Suzu has to give up everything to save someone else, someone she hardly knows. It's a film where Suzu has to become her own mother, willing to give up everything for some child stuck in the middle of a storm.
Welcome to the storm, to the end of the beginning.
Put simply, To be beautiful, is to be selfless. And in a world that is constantly fragmenting apart as we squabble about the little bit more we want, we need to remember that. The world in 2021 needs Belle. And that's why I love it.
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