Another World Review: A Grave of the Fireflies-esque exploration of grief, forgiveness, and reincarnation through the lens of optimism

PLOT: A spirit guide in the afterlife realm helps souls reach reincarnation. When he meets a young girl whose anger threatens to turn her into a monster, he must save her while learning about human emotions. The film is a loose adaptation of the novel Sennenki by Naka Saijo.

REVIEW: What happens to us after we die? Where do we go? What do we become? Are we ever truly at rest if there’s unfinished business? Can we claw our way back to life? If you’re not willing to consider your answers to these questions, you might want to tread carefully as you experience animator Tommy Ng Kai-chung’s Another World, an animated epic from Hong Kong about life, death, reincarnation, and forgiveness.

Another World is a stunningly drawn, narratively complex work of art that’s sad, disturbing, awfully violent, and somehow, heartfelt and optimistic. The movie demands your full attention as it weaves a tale about inner demons, tenaciously clinging to regret, and how the only person who can forgive you for past transgressions is yourself. The longer you hold onto your pain, the more corrupted your soul becomes. If you venture too deep down the rabbit hole of pain and lose yourself, there’s no hope of hitting the reset button. Reincarnation only comes for those who accept that pain is an illusion.

I found Another World challenging to follow, though I eventually found my bearings. The story focuses on the spirit guide Gudo (Chung Suet-ying), who leads Yuri (Christy Choi Hiu-tung) to a waterfall of reincarnation while simultaneously preventing a seed of evil from growing within her heart. If the seed blooms, and Yuri grows horns, she becomes a Wrath. Once that happens, there’s no going back, and Yuri’s pain is so massive that all of existence will pay the price if she transforms. Before Yuri’s soul is lost forever, the Goddess Mira (Kay Tse On-kei) gives Gudo the chance to save her. While traversing Another World, Gudo obsesses over human emotions; their complexity, sorrow, and ability to destroy.

Throughout the journey, we encounter different lives, including Goran (Yeung Nga-man), the princess and heir to Flower City, who walks a dark path after blaming herself for her parents’ deaths. Elsewhere, Keung (Will Or Wai-lam), a wheat farmer from a ruined kingdom, desires vengeance against his oppressors. He longs to become a Wrath, not knowing the destruction that’s sure to occur if he gets his wish. Finally, there’s the story of two sisters working in an industrial revolution-era factory; their lives are little more than a nightmare of perpetual hunger and fear. Fighting alongside Gudo and Yuri as they make the journey is Dark Knight (Louis Cheung Kai-chung), a mysterious warrior tasked with keeping Gudo safe despite the young spirit’s endless acts of folly.

If this all sounds complex, that’s because it is. Or, at least I found it to be. There’s a rhythm to Another World. Once you groove to the melody, you’ll be alright. The film flashes forward and back through time and reality, with part of the story taking place in Another World, a beautiful, dream-like liminal space between life and death, and reality, an unending playground of tragedy, grief, and false hope. Yes, aspects of Another World are straight up depressing (the third and final story in particular), but as I’d said, there’s optimism too. Gudo is a ray of light capable of piercing the film’s oppressive darkness, and his unwillingness to let Yuri become one with the shadows is the movie’s emotional core. Gudo’s burning desire to reunite Yuri with her brother carried me through the film’s most heart-wrenching moments, and each time we visited Another World, I became hypnotized by its elegance and calm.

Another World is a movie about how we react to pain. Do we allow it to consume us? What happens if we’re blind to the ways our grief affects others? What if that hurt can manifest into something capable of destroying the world? It’s a lot, I know, but so is Another World. I don’t know what I was expecting when this film crossed my desk, but I did not foresee myself spiraling into an introspective nightmare while watching it. This kind of stuff is my jam, though. I like asking big questions, and stories that aren’t afraid to challenge our emotions are my favorites. Another World will be too heavy for some, but those interested in exploring the concept of reincarnation from another culture could find the film fascinating. I feel as if I need a Tylenol after watching it, but I’ll take a headache triggered by overthinking than something stale and unimaginative any day of the week.

Visually, Another World is breathtaking, even when it’s pushing soot and burn-off into your lungs. Narratively, it’s an uphill climb, but once you reach the top and survey the escalation, you’ll be glad you pushed yourself to the apex. I’m sure some people will find Another World to be a bit too heady, and perhaps you’ll get Grave of the Fireflies flashbacks if you’re not careful. Still, I like films that reach inside my chest and punch my heart until it hurts. If you’re a cinematic masochist like me, you’re gonna love this one.