Look Back : Austin Film Festival Review

Most of us have had that one friend where everything just clicks, where the pieces fit so perfectly that you almost feel like one person. When you find a friendship like that, the world becomes a much better place, because let’s face it, it’s a lot harder to face it alone. For me, movies like The Intouchables or Stand by Me come to mind, although the latter makes me wonder if I have any friends I’d actually want to go see a dead body with. Hirokazu Koreeda’s latest film, Look Back, based on the popular manga, is the kind of movie that makes you think about your own friendships and maybe even appreciate them a little more.

We first meet a young Fujino (Furi Nanase), who’s something of a big deal at school thanks to the manga strips she creates for the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks if she’d be willing to share that space with another student, Kyomoto (Rokka Okada), a girl who rarely leaves her home. Fujino agrees, but there’s a problem: Kyomoto might actually be the better artist, and suddenly Fujino isn’t getting quite as much attention as she’s used to.

When the school year comes to an end, Fujino is asked to deliver something to Kyomoto, and that simple encounter changes both their lives. Their shared love of manga creates an instant connection, and as they grow older, Fujino (Natsuki Deguchi) and Kyomoto (Aju Makita) decide to create their own manga together. They spend their days working side by side, with Fujino handling the writing and Kyomoto bringing the illustrations to life, hoping their work will be good enough to enter into a competition.

Outside of their love for manga, the two couldn’t be more different. Kyomoto is shy and reserved, while Fujino is outgoing, energetic, and comfortable being the center of attention. But together, they just work. Their talents complement one another, and eventually their work gets noticed, leading to an opportunity to create their own series. It’s the kind of dream they’ve been working toward, but it’s also where their differences begin to pull them in separate directions, threatening a friendship that once seemed unbreakable.

Based on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga, with a screenplay by Ryoko Taguchi and Hirokazu Koreeda, who also directs, Look Back is a beautiful adaptation filled with the kind of deeply human storytelling Koreeda does so well. The story already received an excellent animated adaptation in 2024, but this live-action version takes the opportunity to fill in some of the gaps, giving its characters more room to breathe and making them feel even more fully realized. At its heart, Look Back is a wonderful coming-of-age story, but it’s also an insightful exploration of artistic creation and the relationships that inspire it. Koreeda understands that manga isn’t simply what brings these two girls together. It becomes their own language, a way of communicating and understanding each other when words aren’t always enough.

What makes Look Back so special is how it takes what initially feels like a simple story about friendship and turns it into something much deeper. It explores some difficult emotional territory, and there are moments that aren’t easy to sit through. But if you’re willing to let yourself get completely absorbed in the experience, there’s something genuinely beautiful waiting for you.

Beyond the friendship at its center, the film seems just as interested in capturing what it feels like to exist in a particular moment, doing something you love with someone who understands you. In many ways, it feels like a live-action Miyazaki film. Koreeda isn’t afraid to slow things down and let a moment linger, even if it means putting the plot on the sideline for a little while. And those quiet moments often end up saying the most.

As for the performances, Deguchi and Makita are terrific, bringing warmth, vulnerability, and plenty of depth to characters who feel like real people rather than creations on a page. Their chemistry makes the film’s dramatic turn around the midway point all the more devastating, because by then, you’ve become so invested in these two young women and the world they’ve built together.

I went into Look Back having never read the manga or seen the animated adaptation, and I think that made the experience even more powerful for me. I had no idea where the story was going, and when it took that turn, it hit me hard. But that’s also what makes this film so special. It’s a reminder of how beautiful friendship can be, how much the people we meet can shape our lives, and how the things we create together can leave a lasting impression long after the moment has passed. Look Back is a beautiful, heartbreaking film that reminds us of the things in life that really matter.

Brian Taylor

Member of the North Texas Film Critics Association, and lover of all things Cinema