The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki o kakeru shojo)

‘When Makoto, a shy schoolgirl, is thrown from her bicycle onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train, her end seems inevitable. However, thanks to a mysterious device she had previously come across, she escapes death and discovers that she has gained the ability to travel through time. What begins as a pipe dream of shirking responsibility soon turns into a deeper exploration of moral questions, as Makoto is forced to confront the consequences of her actions, which increasingly determine matters of life and death. Hosoda’s first feature film of his own, outside of already commercially established film series, showcases his inventiveness and his penchant for diverse animation styles, time-travel twists and reflections on the linearity of time. His themes are both revealed and complicated by stylistic and narrative details.” (Harvard Film Archive, 2019)