Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms [Sub: Eng]
After an army invaded her town, a young pretty girl named Maquia decided to run away. On her way, she meets a handsome guy, Erial, with whom she enters a romantic relationship. But when Erial discovers the reality of Maquia, that she doesn't get older after the teenage age, things may change.
13 September 1987, Tokyo, Japan
19 July 1988, Dallas, Texas, USA
2 May 1981, Kitakyushu, Japan
31 August 1947, Los Angeles, California, USA
24 February 1986, West Hills, California, USA
16 July 1985, Kanagawa, Japan
6 November 1957, Los Angeles, California, USA
22 September 1974, New York City, New York, USA
10 February 1970
November 05, 2018
An exceptional screenwriter debuts as a director with a delicate, imperfect and exquisite work. [Full review in Spanish]
August 26, 2018
It's sweet to the point of ugly crying with bittersweetness
July 20, 2018
This eerie and affecting feature debut from writer-director Mari Okada blends fantasy and coming-of-age stories.
July 26, 2018
The film embraces its female-centric premise while mostly eschewing traditional romance for its heroine, preferring to focus on passion of another kind, with the movie's rich visuals bringing all of its ideals to breathtaking life.
June 28, 2018
'Fantasy' often conjures visions of a Tolkien-esque mix of dragons, elves, quests and big blokes with axes, but Japanese writer-director Mari Okada's animated epic has done something impressively new with the genre.
July 21, 2018
We don't even notice how deep Okada has driven her storytelling dagger until she pulls it out in the end, and the tears come, adding, to the bitterness and sweetness of this moving and strange little fable, a hefty dose of salt.
June 27, 2018
The storyline doesn't explore motherhood much farther than this, but the emotional resonance is powerfully evocative.
July 19, 2018
At almost two hours, the film feels a bit long and suffers from multiple endings, but Okada is clearly a talent to watch.
August 29, 2018
If the film is a bit frustrating on the storytelling front, it makes up for it with some staggeringly beautiful imagery.
July 16, 2018
I could easily find myself dismissing these stories strangely told stories and miss out on a beautiful tale, simply because it's different. If you're not a fan of anime, give it try. Be open and patient.
July 22, 2018
Despite being set in a Lord of the Rings-ish fantasy world, the core themes of loss, aging, and motherhood have real-world emotional resonance.
July 26, 2018
[A] beautiful and melancholic story about myth and reality, death and what it means to live, and the inherent contradictions of parenthood.

