Ritual

5.0 There’s just something about Hideaki Anno’s work which makes me feel such intense emotions even when I don’t completely grasp what he’s put forward on screen. Ritual is no exception. This deals with many of the themes which are explored in Eva too, but in its own unique way. Loneliness, escapism, trauma, and the need for companionship (and the inherent paradoxes that come along with it) portrayed in a way that is nothing short of life changing to me. So many parallels can be drawn between the protagonists here and many of the characters in Eva. You can definitely tell Anno still hadn’t completely healed from the wounds he was suffering from when he made NGE. Idk if it’s intentional (I’m not even sure if it’s supposed to be interpreted this way), but another thing I noticed is that, just like Eva(the show), the movie makes you think it’s leading to a really dark and depressing place until the very end, when it pulls the rug from under your feet and fills you with hope and warmth. This whole review is probably me comparing Ritual to Eva a bit too much when it definitely deserves to be spoken abt as its own wonderful thing but I honestly can’t help it given how similar they feel. Though I feel I would’ve derived just as much value from this even if I hadn’t watched Eva, the parallels are hard to ignore. Definitely going to rewatch this soon.