Voices of a Distant Star

Fantastic short film, all made by one man on a mac. Voices Of A Distant Star is the story of a future intergalactic war, and young couples separated by minutes, months, and eventually years communicating via texts, in one of the most entertaining movies about long distance relationships I've ever seen (the first one with space fights anyway). The direction alternates between simple objects and images caught in daytime shadows, and grandiose sweeping shots of ultra violet skys and vast alien landscapes and space. Likewise the plot alternates between introspective voice overs about longing and the passage of time, wonder at the magnitude and beauty at the psychical world, and anime style space battles with giant mech soldiers, aliens who resemble T1000esque Crustaceans, and Space Vessels which look like swans. Emotionally and visually moving anime, about growing up and growing apart.

What a simple concept for a film, executed so wonderfully. A teenage girl travels in space, and the only way for her to contact the boy she loves back on earth in through her cell-phone's text messaging. But as she drifts further from earth, the messages begin to take a much longer to reach him. He begins to give up on hearing from her again, and she grieves over what she is unable to tell him from this distance. However, the ending is extremely moving and uplifting, more so than I thought this 25-minute film would be.

I need not mention how this film was made, by one man on his computer. While the visuals are surprisingly good for a film made with such sparse resources, Makoto Shinkai clearly understands that storytelling is the most important part of animation, and he made a film that is more beautiful and touching than almost anything you'd see in Hollywood, and he did it on his computer, and with a run time of under a half hour. This guy is talented, and I hope to see him directing more animes in the future.

Voices of a Distant Star is a superb film by any standards, certainly a must see for anime fans.

First of all, it is really really good.

What amazed me the most is how in such a short period of time Makoto Shinkai is able to create such a wonderful, clear, interesting and beautiful story.

This 25 minute ova tells the story of two friends who are separated because of military reasons. as the distance between them grows, it is harder for them to communicate. Just as Makoto Shinkai's other movies the story basically tries to explain how time and distance make people grow apart even when they love each other. This movie however is still in every aspect bellow 5 minutes per second. The reason I didn't like it as much as other Shinkai's movies is because animation was not very good, or maybe I just didn't like it. Never the less, its still a great movie which I recommend to everyone, (anime fan or not). Its easy to follow, very well built, and as I already said, is by far the best work I've ever seen in such a short period of time. Very very good. p.s: watch 5 minutes per second (also by the same director) is the best!!

Simply put, this is the reason why anime is so superior to any other art form out there. The stunning visuals and freedom of the storyline make something like 'Voices of a Distant Star' a pleasure to watch. Unhindered by the traditional commercial constraints on any 'big-budget' title, Voices succeeds at the highest level, making you deeply care about the characters. And to say this is all done in a mere 30 minutes is such an achievement.

Movingly beautiful and very interesting. Voices of a Distant Star is the type of entertainment that doesn't come around too often.

Not the typical 'smash and blast' mech-warrior tale. And those looking for one will probably be disappointed, even though there are a few battle scenes.

A written haiku can give the fullness of something in a few words. The evocative images, minimalist dialogue, and soundtrack of this short file capture the full essence of two people in love, separated by war, in the same way. I don't believe a longer film could have done this.