“Belle”, the latest film by the visionary Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda, nominated for an Oscar for “Mirai”, is released in Romanian cinemas on February 4, with a preview on January 29.
The Belle release is the first major anime film release in Romanian cinemas. The film will run in all cinemas in the country, multiplexes and arthouse rooms, both in the original version, in Japanese with Romanian subtitles, and dubbed in Romanian.
Director Mamoru Hosoda, concerned with the future and technology, proposes in “Belle” a new virtual reality, in which everyone can become what they want to be. U is the virtual community created and governed by five sages called Voices, the largest ever-growing virtual organization with more than 5 billion users. U uses the latest body-sharing technology through which users can relax and have fun together. In the U world, AS is the avatar of every user. AS is created automatically based on personal biometric information. U is another reality. AS is another you. You can start over in the U, not in reality.
“Belle” tells the story of Suzu, a shy 17-year-old girl who lives with her father in a village in Japan. One day Suzu decides to create a “U” account. She becomes Belle, a beautiful singer who enjoys success and popularity. In the “U” she meets a scary creature, who lives alone in a floating castle, refusing to let anyone approach or explain to others the wounds on his body. Together, the two embark on a journey full of adventure, challenge and love, in an attempt to become who they really are.
Mamoru Hosoda pays homage to the classic “Beauty and the Beast” through “Belle”, placing the story of the two characters in the U world: “Since I was little I admired the story of Beauty and the Beast. What really fascinated me about this story is how the values seemed to be reversed in some respects; what we think is beautiful turns out to be ugly, and what might look ugly turns out to be beautiful on the inside. Similarly, with the invention of the Internet, we, as humans, have our own version that exists in reality and another projection that exists online. ””Belle” talks about our need, of all of us, to be seen, heard and admired through social networks. Behind some avatars are real people, with their problems and cries for help. All we have to do is try to hear them, beyond the noise around them.
”Belle” will be distributed in the Romanian cinemas by Bad Unicorn.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/r6m0QSgAh4k