Picnic
"The world began when I was born; so when I die, it will end. So i guess I'll just have to die. I'll wash away all your sins."
The quotes above are two different sentences that I combined, spoken by Coco, the "black raven girl."
Since it is directed by Shunji Iwai, you know this film will be ethereal in its music and cinematography. Picnic is a surreal and poetic Japanese film that explores themes of mental illness, existential searching, and human connection through a dreamlike lens. Set mostly within the walls of a bleak mental asylum and its desolate outskirts, the story follows three young patients—Coco, Tsumuji, and Satoru—who each carry emotional wounds and delusions that shape their reality.
At first glance, I thought Picnic would be an abstract film or painting that you couldn't fully understand, but rather just grasp and feel. It turns out this one-hour film contains deep meanings regarding existentialism, judgment day, and trauma, all wrapped in a tragic yet beautiful ending.
"Once again, the fallen angels have fallen." Maybe if they weren't "crazy" enough, the film would be even more of a poetic masterpiece. I mean, it already is, but Coco would probably say this to Tsumuji rather than the self-centered quote above. This is my "poetic potential" quote: "If I were willing to die, would your sins fade away?."
On a side note: The same year the film was released, Chara (Coco) and Tadanobu (Tsumuji) actually got married, though they divorced years later.