While it's always heartwarming to see a loving couple live happily ever after, sometimes romance movies with sad endings can be even more powerful. Films where romance ends in tragedy provide an emotional catharsis for the audience and remind viewers of enduring love. In such movies, the journey becomes more important than the destination.
In genres where similar stories are told repeatedly, narratives can become repetitive and less impactful. Yet, occasionally, an exceptional film emerges that captures our hearts anew.
Drawing Closer, a tragic romance drama from Japan, is one such film. It surprised me with its resonant story, likable characters and the mature yet optimistic approach to its themes.
Directed by Takahiro Miki, Drawing Closer follows Akihito (Ren Nagase), a high school student who learns he has about a year to live after a tumour is discovered growing on his heart. Struggling to cope with the news and seeking a reason to live, he meets Haruna (Natsuki Deguchi) while wandering around a hospital one afternoon.
Like Akihito, Haruna is also terminally ill but has only six months left to live. The two immediately connect due to their shared passion for art. Akihito decides to bring as much joy to Haruna's life as possible with the time they both have left, and in doing so, they might find new meaning in life.
Akihito is sympathetic from the start because of his life-changing predicament. He's just a kid facing a fate no one his age should endure. His world comes crashing down, affecting his relationships with friends and family. It's hard not to feel for him as he takes time to regain his composure and find a sense of normality. Even then, he has moments of weakness, effectively showing the unpredictability and horror of illness. Ren Nagase does an amazing job conveying the complexity of Akihito's situation.
Haruna, the other main character, is fantastic but quite different from Akihito. Unlike him, she looks forward to her death to escape the pain of her illness. However, while she appears content on the outside, the audience sees her true feelings as the story progresses. She misses being healthy and socialising, but her confinement to the hospital limits her. She doesn't want her loved ones to see her condition, so she pushes people away and uses painting as a hobby to escape her reality. Natsuki Deguchi portrays Haruna wonderfully. If you liked her in last year's miniseries The Makanai: Cooking For The Maiko House, you will be even more impressed with her performance in Drawing Closer.

The film effectively presents Haruna's perspective on her illness, showing that there is more than one way to react to terminal illness as everyone handles it differently. It is rewarding to see her build herself up again and find meaning in life with the time she has left.
The relationship between Akihito and Haruna is simply beautiful. They both lack confidence in different areas of their lives and help each other grow and realise their potential. They complete each other in every conceivable way. Their relationship feels natural and avoids typical love story tropes.
One of the most effective tools the movie uses to enhance their relationship is art. Both must achieve a balance between art and reality, and it's touching to see how they do this. Supporting characters like Akihito's family and Haruna's best friend Ayaka (Mayu Yokota) also flesh out their backgrounds and contribute meaningfully to the story.
The film's tone is consistently reflected in its technical elements. It features great cinematography with close-ups that bring the audience into the characters' state of mind. The score enhances emotional scenes, making them even more poignant.
For those who find sad stories hard to handle, be warned: this movie is a tearjerker in every sense. The intimate conversations between Akihito and Haruna about their fate will move you as their situation becomes more dire. Many moments showcase their desire to share their true feelings but their reluctance to burden each other, making their story bittersweet as time runs out.
While some may argue that the story in Drawing Closer is predictable, given its premise of terminally ill characters falling in love, the film's effective presentation makes its lack of originality a non-issue.
Despite being a tough watch at times, the film's storytelling showcases the effort and care invested in it. It demonstrates how another person can change one's outlook on life and underscores the importance of appreciating what we have.
Drawing Closer is a bittersweet romance that explores the meaning of life in the face of death while telling a beautiful love story. This is one of those movies that will stay in your mind long after you've finished watching it.