A story about emotional wounds in relationships and the realization that everyone carries their own burdens and that many others may have even more difficult life stories than we do. The film shows that gratitude is one of the fundamental prerequisites for finding a fulfilling life.

Anna is a withdrawn, wounded girl who grows up with her foster parents and escapes into the world of her drawings and imagination. In her excessive self-pity, Anna sees herself as a misunderstood victim.

Yet she fails to see how much others care about her, how much they love her, and that every single person goes through their own struggles and hardships in life.

Due to health problems, she spends the summer with her aunt and uncle in a small village on the island of Hokkaido. There, she meets Marnie, who lives in a villa by the bay, a place Anna loves to visit. Marnie gradually draws Anna deeper and deeper into a whirlwind of secrets and adventures.

Anna’s biggest surprise comes at the very end, when she discovers that Marnie’s story is directly connected to her own past and her family. Through these events, she manages to rediscover gratitude and the joy of life.

Japan, 2014, 103 min

Crew: Hiromasa Yonebayashi;

Cast: Sara Takatsuki, Yo Oizumi, Hana Sugisaki, Shigeyuki Totsugi, Kasumi Arimura, Susumu Terajima, Nanako Matsushima, Hitomi Kuroki;

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