The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1983): The time-travelling scent of lavender
1983 • Nobuhiko Obayashi • 1.66:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi (House) and based on a novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1983) tells the story of a high school student who suddenly discovers that she can physically leap back and forth through time. Initially, she uses this ability for personal convenience, but she gradually becomes aware of the emotional consequences of altering events and relationships around her.
This poetic, dreamlike coming-of-age science fiction film embraces overt artifice to reject realism. Here, time travel is not a high-stakes scientific anomaly, but rather a profoundly moving and bittersweet metaphor for the disorienting threshold of adulthood. It is a visual manifestation of teenage heartbreak, achieved through chromatic contrast and an evocative orchestral score.
A lyrical and beautifully eccentric tale of adolescent longing and nostalgia, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is imbued with an earnest sense of romanticism, and its time-travel narrative device provides an emotional journey through the brief period in which a young girl realises that it is impossible to hold onto a single moment.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: A shy schoolgirl discovers she can travel through time after a mysterious incident, but each leap forward forces her to confront the emotional cost of changing—or trying to preserve—her everyday life and relationships.
- Actors: Tomoyo Harada, Ryōichi Takayanagi, Toshinori Omi, Toshie Negishi, Ittoku Kishibe, Yukari Tsuda, Akiko Kitamura, Wakaba Irie, Takako Irie, Ken Uehara.
- Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
- Year: 1983
- Cinematographer: Yoshitaka Sakamoto
- Origin: Japanese Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
- Genre: Sci-Fi / Coming-of-Age
