autaku

Voices of a Distant Star is a twenty-five minute film by Makoto Shinkai of 5 Centimetres Per Second fame. Much like 5cm, Voices is about the relationship between two teenagers kept apart by both time and space and there are many thematic similarities between the two films. However, where 5cm is grounded firmly in reality, Voices is set in the year 2047, a future in which humans are engaged in a space-faring war with aliens called Tarsians. A girl named Mikako volunteers to join the UN Space Army, leaving behind her friend Noboru. The couple continue to communicate via email using their mobile phones, but as Mikako travels further and further from Earth the messages take longer and longer to reach Noboru.

Voices is comprised mainly of voice-over monologues by both Mikako and Noboru, but there’s also some action as Mikako pilots her mech in space battles against the Tarsians. Though the action is well-implemented and helps to vary the pacing, there should be no doubt that the real draw of this film is its emotional impact. Over the course of Voices‘ short runtime, Shinkai captures the beauty and heartache of Mikako and Noboru’s relationship to create an extremely engaging and moving film that accomplishes a greater resonance than its length might suggest.

One of the remarkable things about Voices of a Distant Star is that it was created almost entirely by Shinkai himself, and for a one-man job the animation is quite an accomplishment. There is some roughness throughout (for me, the CG mechs were the source of most of this), but the film also manages to impress on at least a few occasions and never looks bad. It’s certainly easy to see how this, as a groundwork, blossomed into Shinkai’s now-recognisable visual style. While Shinkai took on all writing, directing and visual production duties, the beautiful, largely piano-based soundtrack is provided by Tenmon, who has worked on all of Shinkai’s films to date. It’s a moving score that complements the story perfectly and plays a large part in the emotional impact of the film.

Voices of a Distant Star is a film that will probably – hopefully – be looked back on in years to come as the start of something special. Makoto Shinkai decries claims that he is “the new Miyazaki”, and I’d rather not make such judgements myself, but Voices is a testament to his dedication, his vision and his ability to create films with a real emotional resonance. If, like me, your experience of Shinkai began with the more recent 5 Centimetres Per Second, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t trace his works back; Voices is a beautiful film that should not be missed.