Han Ji-Won’s “Lost in Starlight”
Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald
Is it a sci-fi romance? Or a romantic sci-fi?
Whatever the label, Lost in Starlight is a touching—if somewhat familiar—story of two people, seemingly as different as night and day, who meet cute, fall in love, and discover that their relationship cannot entirely escape their personal demons. Their bond is ultimately tested during a long and painful separation.
How long, you ask? The story unfolds across the 2050s on Earth, in space, and on Mars. The boy is an electronic handyman and part-time musician; the girl is a scientist determined to discover life on Mars. It’s an unlikely pairing, but the details are presented so naturally and convincingly—thanks to extraordinary animation and superb voice acting (I watched with the Korean soundtrack and English subtitles)—that I couldn’t help being drawn in.
And the animation! The world of 2050 Seoul is depicted with such clarity, color, and imaginative detail that it’s hard not to be impressed by the creative vision behind every frame. The rendering of daily life and futuristic technology is consistently astonishing; 3-D holographic displays seem to permeate every environment. At times, I was reminded of the spectacular urban and rural vistas in the animated films of Satoshi Kon and Makoto Shinkai.
Setting aside the realities of transmission delays in interplanetary communication, the film remains grounded in its focus on these characters and their emotional journeys. Han Ji-Won balances character, story, and animation so effectively that each element supports the others—an achievement not always reached in some Chinese animated epics, where character and plot can be overwhelmed by visual spectacle.
Han never loses sight of the fact that she is telling an intimate story about two people in love who must confront long-standing personal challenges. That this emotional core remains so strong amid all the futuristic settings, technology, and other-worldly events is quite an accomplishment.
Review text copyright © 2025 by Dennis D. McDonald
Images from LOST IN STARLIGHT
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