The Boy and the Heron

Three years into the war, Mahito Maki loses his mother in a tragic hospital fire. Shortly after, his father marries his mother’s younger sister, Natsuko, and they move to her rural family home, seeking refuge from their grief. There, Mahito is frequently taunted by a strange gray heron that seems fixated on him. Struggling to cope with his loss and adjust to his new life, Mahito is shocked to learn that Natsuko is pregnant. Complicating matters, the heron can speak and claims that Mahito's mother is still alive. It lures him to a mysterious tower near the house, insisting that he can save her from death, though Mahito remains skeptical. When Natsuko mysteriously disappears one day, Mahito sees her enter the tower and feels compelled to follow her in a bid to rescue her. He soon finds himself in an alternate realm where the boundaries between life and death are blurred. As he journeys through this strange world to locate Natsuko, Mahito must come to terms with what it truly means to live if he hopes to return home safely.