TIFF 2025 Review: Scarlet – “stunning visuals.”

A vengeful princess finds herself transported to a world that transcends time and space which is also inhabited by man who ordered her father killed.

The 16th-century execution of the King of Denmark is orchestrated by his brother and wife, leaving his daughter Scarlet seeking revenge; however, before the princess can kill her uncle, she is poisoned by him and finds herself in a realm where life and death coexist and is inhabited by individuals from various eras.  Scarlet is befriended by a contemporary male nurse Hijiri, and they learn that the subject of her hatred is also present in this mysterious place known as the Otherworld; she embarks on a quest to fulfill her duty before fading away into nothingness.

Water figures prominently, a visual motif as dark, cloudy skies that resemble stormy seas, and the Stairway to Infinity appears as if it’s underwater.  This is the Otherworld that at times resembles Dante’s Inferno mixed with Lawrence of Arabia.  Other aesthetics include a contemporary urban setting that comes across as a faded memory, a cosmic tunnel, a massive flying dragon littered with swords that failed to hit it, and a monochromatic spiritual gateway.  Combining them is the supernatural aspect of the story, which also allows for a nurse from current times to be travelling with a princess from the 16th century.  The conflict caused by the nature of their professions, where one has been trained to save lives while the other has been taught how to kill, plays to the theme that the circle of violence has to come to an end.

There is a musical dance number that occurs, which is jarring but is integrated into the narrative in such a way that it becomes an emotional turning point for the protagonist.  The use of CG animation results in dramatic facial expressions and makes the characters feel really dirty and coated in dust.  Mamoru Hosoda goes even further in mixing 2D and 3D animation to produce an animation style that takes advantage of the strengths of each technique. Ambition remains supreme as Scarlet is certainly the most epic project that Hosoda has ever created, and it shows in the stunning visuals.  An interesting twist is taken on the revenge genre though it does not quite achieve the dramatic heft that was intended by the filmmaker.

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 4-14, 2025, 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.