Lonely Castle in the Mirror

A timid, anxious child of aloof parents, Kokoro cannot bring herself to go to school and spends most of her time holed up in her room. One day, a luminous portal opens in her dressing mirror, taking her to a majestic castle on a secluded island where she meets six other middle-schoolers like her. Wolf Queen, the concierge of the island, gives the group a task: find a key hidden in the castle and be granted a wish.

Adapted from a novel by Tsujimura Mizuki, Hara Keiichi’s enchanting anime feature Lonely Castle in the Mirror powerfully shows what a young adult fantasy is capable of, expanding the world of introverted pre-adolescents while preparing them to face the world with confidence. Open only during school hours, the castle offers a safe space for confused, isolated children, helping them build a therapeutic community of their own that doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t judge.

Animated at a measured rhythm with an emphasis on speech over movement, the film works its mysteries into an astonishing climactic passage that is as spectacular as it is emotionally overwhelming. Hara’s ambitious film gets into the harsher, knottier aspects of growing up, but instead of advocating a self-absorbed disavowal of the world, it imagines the wholesome possibility of troubled youngsters blooming into functioning adults.

– Srikanth Srinivasan