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Blue Thermal
Institute of Contemporary Arts
A young student stares excitedly towards the sky, in front of a university.
Blue Thermal ブルーサーマル, dir. Masaki Tachibana, Japan 2022, 103 min., Japanese with English subtitles, PG


Tamaki, a university student from Nagasaki, is determined to have a fairytale romance in Tokyo by joining the right student club. However, she ends up joining the aviation club after damaging a prized glider. Far from the university life that Tamaki had dreamed of, she is at first reluctant to attend the training sessions, but gradually discovers a fascination towards flying. During a joint training session with another university, she meets her estranged sister Chizuru. Knowing that her sister remains cold towards her and feeling the pressure at her first tournament, Tamaki loses her confidence and becomes doubtful about herself.

With the world of aviation providing an unusual setting, this coming-of-age animation is a successful collaboration between respectable creators and voice actors. The film is like a ‘blue thermal’ – an updraft that occurs under a blue sky which pushes a glider higher. This beautiful work with its spectacular depiction of the sky captures the ever-moving emotion of Tamaki tenderly.
 
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