Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop

An animated film set over one summer in Japan. Cherry finds it hard to speak. He avoids meeting people's eyes, keeps his headphones on and writes what he wants to say as haiku; he saves them on his phone and shows nobody. Smile is a girl who is constantly broadcasting. She wears a large mask over her face to hide her braces and always appears cheerful on screen. The two meet at a shopping centre and their phones get swapped. At the same time an old man comes to the centre every day. His memory has weakened and he is looking for a record he lost years ago; there is a song on it and the song matters to him. The young people start looking for the record, and the search becomes the film's main line. What the narrative is interested in is communication: one writes his words, one hides her face, one cannot remember, and all three are trying to say something. The design is striking: very bright colours, flat backgrounds and simplified character drawing. The haiku are set into the structure; the scenes are divided by short poems. Kyohei Ishiguro directed. It was released on a streaming service. A pleasant choice for anyone who likes Japanese animation and calm stories about the young. For a viewer expecting a complex narrative, the film follows a simple line and keeps its register throughout.