The Tunnel to Summer, Exit of Goodbyes — The Tunnel to Summer, Exit of Goodbyes
The Tunnel to Summer, Exit of Goodbyes is the latest film from Tomohisa Taguchi (Akudama Drive, Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna) and is based on the light novel of the same name by Mei Hachimoku. The film follows the blossoming romance of a two high school students, the new girl Anzu Hanashiro (Marie Iitoyo) and the stoic Karou Tono (Oji Suzuka), as they discover a mysterious disused tunnel which allows them travel back in time. The more time they spend in the tunnel the more they lose in the present as time accelerates in the outside world, however they both want to reclaim something lost from their pasts.
With any animated feature it's probably best to address the visual components first. Coming from CLAP, the same studio behind the recent Pompo: The Cinephile (2021) which I would strongly recommend, this film is an absolute visual treat. The characters are some the most expressive I’ve seen in recent feature-length anime, with a particular care taken in how emotional expression is handled. There is a moment late in the film where Tono has a panic attack upon discovering his dad’s new partner and it reminds how easily people can be forgotten, the detail that has gone into realising this true sense of panic is outstanding. Romantic scenes are also aided by this focus on body language, especially during a pivotal scene where Anzu finally shows Tono her manga manuscript and there is a great range of expressions on display here. The landscapes are where the visual splendour really comes into its own. From the surreal tunnel interior to the rainswept bus stop at the beginning of the film, everything just looks amazing.
But a film can’t be all visual splendour, it has to have the writing to back it up. Unfortunately it is the writing that ultimately ends up feeling somewhat uneven, especially during the film’s pivotal moments at the end. Where the script of this film shines is in establishing the relationship between our two protagonists. The slow burn of the romance works really well because we get a real sense of them actually being friends and working together, there is a sense that this could go from a friendship to a romantic relationship. A moment that really stuck out to me was the scene where the pair do a playacting version of their first encounter and it is quite sweet and captures that adolescent playfulness perfectly. Iitoyo and Suzuka have a natural chemistry together that does sell this romance really well, the aforementioned manga manuscript scene is a real highlight of their performances and props to Suzuka for capturing teenage depression in a way that is quite relatable.
It is the actual time-travel element that falls flat for me however, despite it having some true moments of poignancy. The film doesn’t quite use the concept to its full advantage, we get a scene early on where Anzu is left for seven hours while Tono is in the tunnel for only a few seconds and the film does a good job at selling the loneliness and panic of being on either side. However this idea of forging a relationship through the threat of time dilation is left aside for a more conventional high school romance narrative. The moment where the concept really does work is in the sequences where Tono returns to his past and is reunited with his sister Karen. Emotions flow fast here and the themes of letting go and embracing the present and made even better with the use of a literal rose-tinted filter. The uneven part comes in the underdeveloped narrative of what Anzu is doing in the years Tono is away, I would have loved to have seen the contrast between her life and his as neither are able to let to go of what they once had.
Fans of films like Suzume, Makoto Shinkai’s latest picture, will find some value here in the presentation of high school romance. The emotional scripting between out two protagonists is really strong at points, backed up with some incredible visuals. However the sci-fi concept at the centre of the love story feels somewhat underused, but I think the strength of the film’s emotional core makes up for a lot of those downfalls.
The Tunnel to Summer, The Exit of Goddbyes is showing in UK cinemas from 14th July.