Patema Inverted is original, mind bending anime for fans of the genre

The plot for Patema Inverted takes a moment to digest.  It’s the story of two teens who live on opposite gravities on the same planet.  Patema is a princess and lives underground in an industrial area while Age lives on the surface and is part of a totalitarian society.   So far, so good, right?  But here’s where it gets tricky.

Patema is out exploring the forbidden zone where she falls down into a massive pit.  She falls down the pit and into the surface world where she meets Age. Had Patema not caught herself on tree she would’ve fallen up into the sky.

Everybody on the surface thinks that the ‘sinners fell into the sky’.  The leader up there is a mix between a misguided preacher and military leader.  Age and Patema learn about each other they discover that if they embrace then they can counteract the gravity that is keeping one down while pulling the other one up.

Of course, being two teens there is some attraction there, which leads to an upside down, a la Spidey kiss that happens off screen. The final buildup between the military forces and Patema’s people is a little predictable, but it’s nothing that should scare people away from seeing it.

What makes Patema Inverted worth seeing for young adults or anime fans is the story.  It twists your mind with where they are and who has gravity.  The animation is also very pretty with subtle differences between the two areas and fabulous landscape shots.

To an extent it reminded me of The Matrix.  “What did I just see”, I thought to myself after I left the theater.  That was what I asked myself after I saw Patema Inverted.  It’s not as good as The Matrix, nor is it as good as I wanted it to be, but it’s still very entertaining for sci-fi, anime or young adult movie fans.   Another thing that may have left me confused was the score to the film.  The soundtrack was odd and out of place, almost like it should’ve been more electronica, instead of classical.

Patema Inverted is directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura, who also did Time of Eve.   There is nothing objectionable for children in the movie but viewers under 8 might be left scratching their heads.  Having said that, it’s possible that an 8 year old could explain to me the parts that confused me.  Patema Inverted is available on Blu-ray, in English and Japanese, with subtitles, interviews with the director, voice cast and more.