Adapted from the novel of the same title and opening in cinemas on 22 August 2024, Till We Meet Again On The Lily Hill is a Japanese romance sci-fi war film that follows the story of high school student Yuri Kano (Haruka Fukuhara). Despite having good grades in school, she plans to get a job after graduation, owing to her family’s circumstances.

Yuri resents her late father, who lost his life while saving someone else’s child, leaving his own child and wife to fend for themselves. She is also embarrassed by her mum (Tomoko Nakajima), who works at a supermarket and reeks of fish.

After running away from home following an argument with her mum, Yuri takes shelter at an old air raid shelter and falls asleep. To her surprise, she wakes and finds herself in 1945. Lost and helpless, a dashing young man, Akira Sakuma (Koshi Mizukami), comes to her rescue and takes her to an eatery owned by Tsuru (Keiko Matsuzaka). Yuri is smitten by his kindness but he is a kamikaze pilot awaiting his final mission.

Although the time travel element may not seem plausible, the film still makes a decent pure love story with beautiful cinematography, especially with the 1945 rustic setting. The storyline may be predictable and has some plot incongruities but the touching and comical scenes make the film generally entertaining to watch. Particularly, Akira’s best friend and fellow pilot, Ishimaru (Kentaro Ito) has a cute and interesting side story with Chiyo (Natsuki Deguchi), Yuri’s newfound friend.

While Fukuhara’s acting was relatively convincing, the performance of baseball player-turned-actor Mizukami was rather underwhelming. Don’t miss the solid performances by veteran actors Matsuzaka and Nakajima though, as they imbue life into the supporting characters. Their heart-wrenching moments really hit home and you cannot help but empathise with them.

Till We Meet Again On The Lily Hill also throws light on the complicated feelings of the families and friends of the kamikaze, which are often overshadowed by the valorisation of the pilots. It is also through all these interactions that Yuri learns to reassess her supposedly miserable life.

If you enjoy a simple love story set during wartime, Till We Meet Again On The Lily Hill is for you.

Till We Meet Again On The Lily Hill
Director: Yoichi Narita
Runtime: 2 hours 7 minutes
Rating: PG
Release date: 22 August 2024
Tickets: The Projector

*This was an invited media preview.

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