‘Drifting Home’ Netflix Movie Review - A Beautiful Experience

Natsume and Kosuke grew up together with their beloved Yasuji. Natsume belonged to an abusive family, and hence she was taken up by Kosuke’s grandfather Yasuji. These three together spent the best years of their life in that apartment. After Yasuji passed away, Kosuke put the whole blame on Natsume as because of her, he couldn’t meet Yasuji in the final moments of his life. A space gets created between these childhood friends and hence, they speak less to each other now. As Natsume considered Yasuji very close to her, she couldn’t allow his memories to fade away and spend time alone in the apartment they lived in, which was soon going to be demolished. 

At the beginning of their summer break, one day Kosuke is forced by Taishi and Yuzuru to go on ghost hunting in that same apartment. What was meant to be a time full of adventure, turned into a nightmare. These three boys were joined by two of their female classmates as well. So, now they all are in this building which is floating in a vast ocean. There are no homes or land to be seen and the only way they can survive is by working together and dissolving the misunderstandings.

In this journey, we come across various human emotions like guilt and loneliness. With each passing scene, so much has been shown. The creators were clear in their mind about the things that they wanted to deliver to the audience and hence, a fuss wasn’t made. Both the main characters, including the supporting characters, have a depth and background story. Except for Taishi and Yuzuru’s characters, the rest one’s have been fully explored and explained.

Through Natsume’s character one can understand how some people are forced to hide their emotions because even if they show it, nobody is going to care. But one day you may find a friend or a person who’ll understand everything completely. For being close to a person, just blood relations are not required. Like Natsume was so close to Yasuji despite him being Kosuke’s grandfather. This explains how human bonds don’t need any permanent links, as they can be formed with anyone.

Kosuke’s character explains how misunderstanding can change the perception of an individual. He thought that Natsume was the reason behind his not meeting Yasuji, but in reality, it was his limited understanding that lead to the whole misconception. Throughout the anime, the “To err is human; to forgive, divine” message should be very clear. 

Drifting Home is 120 minutes long and is a perfect watch for both adults and children. The people looking for a refreshing watch must watch the anime film as it will likely return your childhood memories. As one grows up, the bond with their childhood friend weakens due to various reasons. This film takes us on an emotional journey and is worth each minute of our precious time.

Final Score – [8/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
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