The late great film critic Roger Ebert referred to movies as being “like a machine that generates empathy.” The best films transport us and allow us to understand the lives of people who have vastly different life experiences.
“Josee, The Tiger and the Fish” is one such empathy-generating machine. Through it, I was able to better understand the struggles and joys of a young woman unable to use her legs, and the feelings of those around her.
Films that portray well-rounded characters with disabilities are rare enough, but in anime, they’re practically nonexistent. Last year’s “Ni no Kuni” was a rare exception, but that fantasy film quickly transported its wheelchair user to an alternate world where he could walk, run and jump.