TIFF 2026 Review: Look Back

Former childhood classmates collaborate together as adults to pursue their dream of becoming manga artists.

Used to being praised and believing herself to be a genius as a manga artist, Fourth-grader Fujino has her confidence shaken when the work of shut-in student Kyomoto shines brighter than her own in the eyes of her classmates; she works hard to beat her rival but is unable to do causing the pen and paper to be put aside, much to the relief of her family.  However, the situation changes dramatically when it is discovered that Kyomoto is a big fan of Fujino and the two embark on a fruitful collaboration. However, nothing lasts forever as different interests and circumstances arise.

If one were to describe filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda with one word, it would be ‘humanist’; he is fascinated by how people interact with each other and how strong bonds can be forged outside of blood relations.  Watching the polar opposite personalities of Fujino and Kyomoto flourish because of each other is a pleasure to watch.  The on-screen chemistry of Furi Nanase and Rokka Okada is believable and dynamic to witness.  An interesting decision was to include an animated segment, considering the anime adaptation was only released two years ago: it makes sense as the viewer actually gets to see drawings come to life, which in essence embodies how the creative mind envisions things.

The real difficult trick is being able to visually demonstrate the creative process as simply watching someone draw is not necessarily captivating. But apparently the secret to this is in the actual sound as hearing a pen strike paper is invigorating. This is done so well that a strip of thumbnail sketches becomes a magical motif that allows for a seamless transition between what is real and imagined.  The tone shifts dramatically but avoids being too jarring.  There is a bittersweetness that rises to the surface as what at first appears to be a celebration of the arts is in fact a tale about dealing with grief.

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10-20, 2026, and for more information visit tiff.net.   

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.