Nan-young, the lead in the sci-fi romance film Lost in Starlight, is obsessed with space. She has dedicated her life to following her late mother’s career and is determined to join the next mission to Mars. This dedication leaves little room for anything else, but that changes when she meets a musician named Jay.
Lost in Starlight reminds audiences how animated films can be made with an adult audience in mind by centering on older characters. The two adult leads spend the film navigating what is clearly an adult relationship, complete with implied sex. They both struggle with personal issues. Hers relate to the loss of her mother at a young age. His issues stem from anxiety around being a performer.
Writer and director Han Ji-won uses sci-fi elements in service of a larger metaphor. Space represents both the emotional distance between and the endless possibilities for their relationship. Fears and traumas of the past and present keep them getting closer. Yet their feelings for one another show that there is a real future for them. They only need to surrender themselves to their true feelings.
All of this brings to life one of last year’s most visually stunning animated films. Cityscapes are rendered in beautiful pinks, oranges, and purples. Each background gets filled with detail bringing this future version of Seoul to life. The exquisite character animation, based on interactions between the Korean voice actors Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung (who also contributed to the story), makes everything feel more real. Lost in Starlight feels more vibrant than the majority of sci-fi stories, whether live action or animated.
There are sequences throughout that are just breathtaking. Actual fireworks go off behind the couple as they take their relationship to the next level. A date at the planetarium sees the universe (heart shaped nebula included!) swallow them whole just as their emotions overwhelm them. When disaster strikes late in the film, Nan-young lies on a massive vinyl record growing more distant from Jay as he performs. Han knows the visual potential of animation to convey ideas in ways live action can’t.
The third act disappoints with how dramatic the film becomes, especially after how inventive and lowkey the rest of the film is. As both the literal and metaphorical distance grows between the two characters, the more outlandish Lost in Starlight becomes. The final scenes, with a few exceptions, feel out of an entirely different film.
Still, an animated film expressly made for adult audiences and featuring adult characters is rare. Films such as Only Yesterday, The Wind Rises, or the filmography of Satoshi Kon have used the possibilities of animation’s expressive potential for older audiences. The sci-fi romance of Lost in Starlight belongs in that lineage. Even if it’s a bumpy ride on re-entry, the film’s big emotions speak to our need to connect.
Lost in Starlight is currently streaming on Netflix.
