The film begins before after the start of Japanese war with America, the film follows you Toot-chan as she bounces from school to school. She bounces because her bubbly personality gets her into trouble with teachers. Eventually settling into a school where some classes are held in train car Totto-chan begins to thrive. The film follows her life from 1940 until her family flees the city because of American bombing.
This is in episodic tale that follows as the young girl builds a a group of friends and changes the lives of everyone she comes in contact with. This is especially true of one introverted boy with polio who only wanted to read. Totto gets him into the swimming pool and to climb up trees, places he never thought he could go.
This is a wonderful film with a dark undercurrent, it's a film about the joys of being a kid even though adult danger is just out of the frame. This makes it a film with some odd shifts in tone. It helps that this is from the point of view of a first grader so she is shielded from a lot and the film doesn’t need to explain.
If the film has any flaws it comes in the handling of some of the darker bits. The death of one character is foreshadowed right at the start, and the integration of the war images are not as well integrated as the might have been. They are excellently done but their placement into the film feel less than natural. The use of Uncle Tom’s Cabin feels less than natural, especially since Totto-chan and her family can’t use American terms lest they be suspected of being spies.
Ultimately these are minor quibble since the film largely soars and ends up being great times with great characters.
Highly recommended
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