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 oices
of a Distant Star" is a movie unique in a number of ways, starting
with its creation. You don't think of animation as a one-man operation,
but writer/director Makoto Shinkai created his short film almost
exclusively on a Mac G4 computer using mostly off-the-shelf software. As
a result, "Voices of a Distant Star" impresses immediately
just on the basis that it was ever made in the first place, and like
Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi," "Star" is a
testament to talent and determination over money. However, those
elements, while a welcome change in today's cinema, isn't a guarantee of
good entertainment, but in the case of "Star", Shinkai has
pulled it off, effectively marrying entertainment with nobility.
It's 2039, and enigmatic aliens called Tarsians
have attacked and utterly decimated human settlements on Mars. By 2046,
the U.N. Space Army has built up a sizable force of spaceships and robot
fighters utilizing knowledge gleaned from captured Tarsian technology
and are ready to take the fight to the aliens. Against this backdrop of
warfare we're introduced to Noburu and Misako, lifelong friends about to
graduate from the ninth grade. Noburu is hopeful that Misako will join
him in the same high school, as their relationship tentatively moves
from simple friendship to maybe something more.
However, complications ensue, as Misako has already
joined the U.N. Space Army and will soon be shipping off to Mars for
training as a robot fighter pilot, before inevitably heading off into
deep space to fight the Tarsians. The two are able to keep in touch via
cell phone text message, but as Misako's fleet moves farther and farther
away from Earth, the messages first take hours, then months, and finally
years to reach Noburu. In addition, time relativity means that just a
few months into Misako's mission, Noburu has already aged into a
twenty-something, one haunted by the uncertainty of Misako's fate.
Using an epic interstellar war as its background,
"Voices of a Distant Star" chooses to focus solely on the two
leads over the course of its sparse 25-minute running time. It's a
credit to Makoto Shinkai that he was able to deliver such a careful
balance of touching drama and slick action despite his limited resources
and a huge gaping plot hole that hangs over the whole affair (it's
doubtful cell phones, even in the future, could ever send/receive
messages across such great distances).
Befitting a video created entirely on a computer,
"Voices of a Distant Star" features some stunning and
beautiful imagery. Although the animation in "Star" is static
even by Japanese standards, all the elements have an extremely clean and
lush look. Nearly every frame demonstrates an eye for skillful shot
composition and features a tremendous amount of detail. For the handful
of space bound action scenes, cel-shaded CG imagery delivers sequences
that are impressive and kinetic, but never so frenzied that they
overwhelm or confuse the viewer.
"Voices
of a Distant Star" willfully cribs elements (specifically space war
and time dilation) from the 1989 mini-series "Gunbuster: Aim For
The Top!", which itself was a subtle parody of science fiction and
anime conventions. The difference between the two animated works is that
the tone in "Star" is much more serious and sober. The film
does a remarkable job dramatizing the anxious uncertainty faced by those
on the frontlines and the loved ones waiting for them back home. Almost
nothing is revealed about the enemy or the human offensive due to time
and budget constraints, but that forced economy in the narrative
actually benefits the film, as the viewer's attention ends up focused
solely on the plight of the leads. Also, the absence of information only
adds to the ambiguity of Misako's fate.
Ultimately, it's that question of how the story ends
that provides the only real negative with "Voices of a Distant
Star". By the time the credits roll, the nature of Misako and
Noburu's relationship has matured beyond the youthful infatuation at the
story's start, but there's no indicator of what will happen next. You
could argue that the love story is the focus, with the war providing the
backdrop, and truth be told, the war-in-space angle has been done to
death. However, Misako and Noburu's fates are inextricably tied to the
war and I found myself wanting a conclusive ending to the story.
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