Growing up in the Shadow of Paradise

Read Time:5 Minute, 37 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
The Island Closest to Heaven (Tengoku ni ichiban chikai shima)
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Genre: Family, Coming-of-Age, Drama
Year Released: 1984, 2025 Cult Epics Release
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director(s): Nobuhiko Obayashi
Writer(s): Katsura Morimura, Wataru Kenmochi
Cast: Tomoyo Harada, Yukihiro Takahashi, Ryoichi Takayanagi, Toru Minegishi, Miyoko Akaza
Where to Watch: available November 25, 2025. Pre-order your copy here: www.cultepics.com, www.mvdshop.com, or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: There’s an unmistakable ache in the opening minutes of THE ISLAND CLOSEST TO HEAVEN, the kind of emotion that doesn’t scream but settles in as soon as Mari begins her journey. Director Nobuhiko Obayashi leans into that space between childhood and adulthood—where curiosity is louder than confidence, and where grief burns underneath even the brightest moments. This is a film that provides something delicate and introspective, a story built around a promise a father made to his daughter and the search for meaning that follows after he’s gone.

Set against the serenity of New Caledonia, the film uses the familiar shape of a coming-of-age trip to explore something more internal. On paper, it sounds like a simple narrative: a teenage girl fulfilling her late father’s wish to take her to “the island closest to heaven.” But Obayashi uses that simplicity to his advantage. Rather than making Mari’s adventure a broad, high-energy odyssey, he slows everything down, allowing each interaction and small discovery to feel like another step deeper into a personal reckoning. At its heart, the film is less about the destination and more about what it means to carry a loved one’s memory into the world with you.

Tomoyo Harada plays Mari with a stillness that can be polarizing. Her performance is intentionally soft, almost held back at times, as if Mari doesn’t quite know how to engage with the emotions she’s feeling. That restraint works in some scenes—especially those shaped by grief or confusion—but it also limits the character’s range. There are stretches where a more textured portrayal could have deepened the film’s impact. Harada’s final act shows that she’s capable of more nuance. Still, her early scenes keep the character at a distance, creating an occasional disconnect between the film’s emotional intention and what we see on screen.

Where the film succeeds most consistently is in its sense of warmth. Mari’s encounters with the locals—Taro, the easygoing island boy, or Yuichi, the guide whose carefree charm provides contrast to her introverted demeanor—give the film a gentle momentum. Each person she meets serves a purpose, not in a plot-heavy way but in the way strangers sometimes shift our worldview without ever realizing it. These moments don’t explode with tension; instead, they layer slowly, shaping Mari’s understanding of the world, adulthood, and the bittersweet truth that we often go searching for what we’ve already been carrying.

This adaptation’s faithfulness to Katsura Morimura’s travelogue is both a strength and a weakness. Viewers who enjoy a reflective, lightly poetic structure will find its pacing comforting. But for others, the film’s commitment to a quiet, almost literary rhythm makes it feel meandering. Characters drift in and out with minimal follow-through; someone appears to hold narrative weight early on only to vanish for most of the film before reappearing near the end. The wandered-in, wandered-out structure has charm, but it also creates an emotional imbalance, leaving certain scenes less resonant than they should be.

Still, while the plot wavers, the core remains intact and affecting. Mari’s journey isn’t about solving mysteries, uncovering magical realms, or embarking on a high-stakes adventure. It’s about the more realistic kind of coming-of-age—the kind shaped by small moments, quiet realizations, and personal reflections that don’t announce themselves until you’re already in the middle of them. The island becomes a mirror rather than a mystical place, inviting Mari to find meaning not in a mythic paradise but within her own ability to move forward after loss.

The Cult Epics release gives the film new reach and context, framing it as part of Obayashi’s Kadokawa era and celebrating it as a gentle, lower-stakes journey amid the director’s more fantastical projects. The extras highlight its production history—especially Tomoyo Harada’s 28 days in New Caledonia—and provide insight into its tone, making the Blu-ray a meaningful addition for Obayashi fans and curious newcomers. It’s clear that the film resonates with viewers who respond to its softness and introspection; it’s equally clear that it may leave others wanting more substance, emotional force, or narrative grounding.

THE ISLAND CLOSEST TO HEAVEN earns its rating not because it falls short, but because it intentionally occupies a middle space. It’s a tender, sun-kissed film with a reflective soul, held back only by its pacing and a performance that doesn’t always rise to the emotional weight of the story. But for those open to its quiet nature and its gentle search for meaning, it offers a simple but heartfelt reminder: sometimes the place closest to heaven isn’t a faraway island at all, but the place where you finally allow yourself to grow.

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[photo courtesy of CULT EPICS, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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