Film · 2018
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms
さよならの朝に約束の花をかざろう
Maquia belongs to a people who live for centuries while retaining a youthful appearance. When an invasion destroys her home, she escapes and finds a human baby whose mother has died. Raising Ariel gives her a family whose relationship with time is very different from her own.
The Iorph record their days by weaving a cloth called Hibiol. The invading army wants the secret of their long lives, so Maquia’s loss is connected to the very trait that will distinguish her from the child she raises. Motherhood develops while their ages stop meaning the same thing.
Maquia and the young Ariel fit closely into a single frame, their noses touching. At this point the relationship can be shown through a familiar gesture between parent and child. The film’s unusual timescale gives that ordinary closeness a particular weight: sharing a home does not mean they will experience the passing years in the same way.
Standalone 2018 animated film · Approx. 115 min · one film
Original 2018 animated feature, approximately 115 minutes. Adaptations in other media are excluded.