Review of Patema Inverted

It seems like I've seen trailers for several different films/shorts that are about people who live in two worlds where their gravity is pulling each of them the opposite direction. It's a neat idea, and I liked how they revealed it in Patema Inverted. It made sense that the two societies would be afraid of one another, and view each other as outcasts. I found the friendship formed between the two main characters to be extremely charming, and it was enhanced by the fact that their relationship felt threatened because of the forces that are fighting to keep them apart. While it never felt like they had much agency in improving their lives, at least they bonded in a relatable way.

I did find that the villain in Patema Inverted was more than a little over-the-top. While I can tolerate some mustache-twirling bad guys, for some reason here it felt exaggerated a bit too much. Also, the resolution at the end came out of nowhere and didn't really make sense to me. I understood what was happening, but it didn't follow a logical pattern based on what I'd seen up to that point. But, this isn't a film that is constructed in our normal world, so I should give it the benefit of the doubt when it comes to standard rules of logic. When I allowed myself to let go of that kind of critical thinking, I did have a good time watching Patema Inverted. It is a neat premise, and they made a nice little movie based on it (even if it is not one I expect to return to any time soon.)