The soul-searching of a jaded Tokyo woman makes for an engaging yet uncharacteristic Studio Ghibli experience from Grave of the Fireflies director Isao Takahata. A sweet and simple exploration of how even the smallest childhood events can colour the future, it focuses on the random memories of office worker Taeko as she nostalgically reflects on her 10-year-old self during a rural working holiday. Youthful delights and disappointments are vividly captured, charmingly combining humour and melancholy. These beautifully drawn flashbacks give this slow-paced picture a richness that the somewhat preachy countryside sequences can't match. But the film's best moment comes in the final credits, when past and present converge to tear-jerking effect.

In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.