In “Another World,” emotions swirl between a guiding spirit (Gudo) and a human soul (Yuri) who refuses to reincarnate until she finds her younger brother. What follows is a dark fairy tale meets zen koan told across 1,000 years that explores the complicated human emotions that remain, even in the afterlife. Directed by Tommy Ng Kai Chung, in his feature debut, with a script by Polly Yeung Po Man, the anime is voiced entirely in Cantonese. Produced in Hong Kong, it set a box office record for an animated film made there, $10.3 million, upon its release in 2025.
The film’s many platitudes about the nature of human existence — “You have kindness in you! You just forgot!” Gudo tells Yuri — sometimes feel like overkill, and keeping track of the complex rules governing the film’s worlds is a challenge. But the story speaks loudest when it whispers. Through intricate 2-D hand-drawn animation and its overall commitment to tonal abstraction, the film manages to make Gudo’s journey sing. Take, for example, the choice to draw each character’s eye as an iris devoid of white space around it. It heightens attention to the voice acting — Chung Suet Ying delivers a tender, playful performance as the curious young Gudo — and compels closer observation of subtle facial expressions.
The color red, appearing somewhere in the frame in nearly every scene, is the film’s true star. From lush crimson fields to knotted cords symbolizing unresolved human hatred and the lips of a giant seminude deity known simply as Goddess, the titular world is steeped in feminine imagery, appearing effortlessly ethereal. The reincarnation portal resembles a living, breathing womb.
Another World Not rated. In Cantonese, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes. In theaters.
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