WEATHERING WITH YOU

As his follow-up to body-swap romance Your Name, writer/director Makato Shinkai wasn’t ever going to go the dark, glum realism route. And while Weathering With You certainly veers into cloudier territory occasionally, it’s still a lovely, beautifully observed fable of meteorology and emotion. High-schooler Hodaka runs away from his island home to make it in Tokyo. There, he meets and falls for the mysterious Hina, a ‘Sunshine Girl’ who has the power to change the weather. That helps the pair hatch a business, all the while enjoying each other’s company — but of course there’s a catch: every time Hina uses her abilities, a little of her life force is taken in exchange. Shinkai weaves another enchanting spell around young lovers, painting the landscape with beautiful light, while finding the time for a cautionary tale about climate change.