Kono sora no hana: Nagaoka hanabi monogatari

"If I can still dance like this, my life has been good. So I'll keep on dancing."

In one of the most beautiful and heartfelt movies I've seen in a while, and not unlike with our main characters, we're taken on a journey of emotions. Going through a history tainted with the atrocities of war, with wishful eyes hoping to learn and grow to pave the road ahead for next generations. Honoring those who died, while dancing in celebration of life. Compassionately pondering what separates us and brings us together; what was, what could've been, and what could be.

Obayashi, using threads of memories from souls weary from the things they've witnessed, weaves a beautiful and infinite tapestry seamlessly connecting the past to the present, in a way feasible only through cinema, and reaching into a future unknown; carrying everyone's wishes and prayers for a world where only blossoms are cast to the sky, and wondering whether or not "There's Still Time Until a War."