Critically acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda’s newest film, Belle, uses the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast to spin a tale exploring the long-term effects of loss and attempting to overcome it. It is visually breathtaking, combining cyberpunk and fantasy designs. But as stunning as the visuals are, the film wouldn’t be half as good without the music to match.
Belle is the story of Suzu, a high school girl suffering from the lasting trauma caused by the death of her mother years before. The most obvious effect of this trauma is Suzu’s inability to sing—to the point where she becomes physically ill if she tries. As a person who had been—with her mother’s assistance—singing and composing since she was practically in diapers, being unable to sing means that she has lost not only her mother but her reason for living as well.
Image source: 『竜とそばかすの姫』細田守最新作＠スタジオ地図 on Twitter
However, all this changes when she first logs onto “U,” a VR social network based around anonymity that allows you to reforge your identity—to become a new person. In this virtual world, Suzu is reborn as “Belle” and discovers that with the reinvention of herself she is once again able to sing. And sing she does.
Before long, Belle is a real-world phenomenon. However, she shuns the celebrity life, focusing only on singing. This leaves the question of Belle’s true identity at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Yet what none of her fans seem to realize is that her songs tell more about who Suzu is than her real name ever would.
You see, Belle’s songs in the film are almost always diegetic—meaning that in this musical, the other characters in the fictional world can not only hear her singing but recognize it as such. But more than that, the songs are written from Suzu’s point of view—as if they were composed by her. This means that, each of them are connected directly to the death of her mother and the loss that haunts her.
“Uta Yo”
“Uta Yo” (Song) is a tension-filled, somewhat discordant tune Suzu sings upon first becoming Belle. It is a song about the frustration she feels about her mother leaving her and her jealousy that everyone else can just continue on living with those they love. But with the return of her ability to sing, she prays to the song to guide her through her inner turmoil.
“U”
“U” is the pop song that opens the film in medias res. At this point, Belle has yet to meet The Beast and is simply reveling in the newfound the virtual world has granted her. While her emotional pain is still present, it is suppressed by the joy she feels at being able to escape the real world and sing again—at the same time inviting all those who hear the song to become lost in the illusion as well.
“Kokoro no Soba ni”
“Kokoro no Soba ni” (Next to Your Heart) is a ballad centered on the relationship between Belle and The Beast from her point of view. She sees that a hidden pain is at the core of his rage—a pain that is similar to her own. All she wants is for him to let her in—so that perhaps they can both begin to heal. This want is the driving force of the back half of the film—Suzu’s drive to find The Beast in the real world and help him escape what plagues him.
“Hanarebanare no Kimi He”
“Hanarebanare no Kimi He” (Separated from You) is the ballad sung at the climax of the film. It is the completed version of the song Suzu starts writing earlier in the film. Born from her loneliness, it speaks to her need to be with those she is separated from—be that her mother or The Beast. This is Suzu laid bare—a fitting song for the moment when she leaves her anonymity behind in a mad gamble to save someone she cares about.
Belle was released in Japanese theaters on July 16, 2021. It has been licensed for an American release by Gkids.
Top image source: 『竜とそばかすの姫』細田守最新作＠スタジオ地図 on Twitter.
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