Violet Evergarden – Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (Haruka Fujita)

[Philip J. Fry]

Trailer:
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IMDb / wiki / RT / Metacritic

On Netflix

[Philip J. Fry]

Watched it this past Thursday and while it helps to have previously watched the anime series, the story instead of focusing on the titular character, it focuses on two girls that form sisterly a bond in an equivalent of WWI and then are separated almost by chance. Throughout the film, we follow each sister as they cross paths with the titular character, someone who, just like them, knows about loss.

The decision of relegating Violet to supporting character is a wise one, not only because her main arc was on the show (and the only backstory the film needs, is instantly conveyed on her hands), it allows the film to easily stand on it's own two feet while finding new ways to explore the show's core themes: loss, class and hope, aided by a luscious score and some of the most gorgeous animation outside Ghibli.

Good, heartfelt film.