VENICE - Hirokazu Koreeda's "Look Back" received more than 12 minutes of applause following its official screening at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival in Italy.
The film, entered in the festival's main competition, was screened on September 7 in the presence of Koreeda and cast members Natsuki Deguchi, Aju Makita, Fuuri Nanase and Rikka Okada, who were greeted with the extended ovation.
"Look Back" is based on the manga of the same name by Tatsuki Fujimoto, best known as the creator of "Chainsaw Man."
The story centers on Fujino and Kyomoto, two girls whose lives become closely connected through their shared passion for drawing manga. Fujino is a confident elementary school student whose four-panel comics are regularly published in the school newspaper, earning praise from her classmates and strengthening her belief in her own talent.
Her confidence is shaken when Kyomoto, a classmate who rarely attends school, begins contributing her own drawings to the newspaper. Kyomoto's artwork is considerably more accomplished, prompting Fujino to devote herself intensely to improving her skills. What begins as rivalry gradually develops into admiration and, eventually, friendship.
The two finally meet when Fujino is asked to deliver Kyomoto's graduation certificate. Despite Kyomoto's withdrawn nature, the girls quickly bond over manga and begin creating works together, with Fujino writing the stories and Kyomoto providing much of the detailed artwork.
As they grow older, their collaboration becomes increasingly serious, and their manga begins attracting attention. The pair share the excitement of seeing their work published and start imagining futures as professional artists.
Their paths eventually begin to diverge. Fujino continues pursuing manga professionally, while Kyomoto decides she wants to develop her artistic abilities further and attend art school. The decision places distance between them after years of working toward the same goal.
The story then takes a tragic turn that forces Fujino to confront grief, regret and questions about the choices that brought the two together. She looks back on their friendship and wonders how their lives might have unfolded differently, while also confronting the meaning that drawing and creating art have given her.
Blending a coming-of-age story with themes of friendship, artistic ambition, loss and the unpredictable consequences of seemingly small decisions, "Look Back" examines both the joy and emotional cost of dedicating one's life to creative work. At its center is the bond between two young artists whose shared love of manga shapes the course of both their lives.
