Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms - A must-watch fantasy drama film that explores humanity like never before

Modified Apr 08, 2023 02:51 GMT

Maquia as seen in the film (Image via P.A. Works)

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is a 2018 Japanese fantasy drama film written and directed by Mari Okada. The film is produced by P.A. Works, with Yuriko Ishi in charge of its animation direction and character designs. The music for the film was composed by Japanese music composer Kenji Kawai.

The film follows the story of a young girl named Maquia, who is a member of a special race called the Iorph, mythical beings capable of living for hundreds of years. When the lorph village gets attacked by the neighboring kingdom of Mezarte, Maquia escapes. During this, she finds an infant in the arms of his deceased mother and decides to raise him as her son.

Love and human connection is portrayed beautifully in Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

Maquia with Ariel as seen in Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (Image via P.A. Works)

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is a beautifully crafted film in which its main character, Maquia, builds relationships and learns the true meaning of loving someone as time progresses. After the lorph village that she lives in gets attacked by the Kingdom of Mezarte, she is forced to flee for her life.

While escaping, she comes across an infant wrapped in the arms of his deceased mother. She refuses to let the child die and decides to raise him as her own son. It is one of the most impactful scenes in the film as Maquia, even after being hunted by enemies for no fault of her own, decides to show kindness to the infant despite him not being a lorph.

Maquia and Ariel as seen in Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (Image via P.A. Works)

Maquia travels to the village of Helm with her adoptive son whom she names Ariel. She's taken in by a woman named Mido, who raises them along with her own two children, Lang and Deol. As time passes, the Kingdom of Mezarte gets concerned with the death of their flying dragons called Renato due to the "Red Eye" disease. This pushes them towards trying to obtain the longevity of the lorph by infusing the royal bloodline with the former's blood.

A lorph named Leilia is forced into a marriage with the prince of Mezarte. She's briefly freed by Maquia and another lorph named Krim. However, Leilia decides to stay, telling them that she is pregnant. Hearing this, Krim resolves to one day come to free her again. The treatment of lorphs in the film is a good example of the cruel nature of humanity and their need to subjugate others.

The film shows Ariel growing up, while Maquia looks the same age, causing him to alienate from his mother. The two grow even further apart when one day they meet Lang, who is now a soldier in Mezarte's army. Meeting him prompts Ariel to join the army as well. Maqiua, despite being overcome with the grief of her son leaving, bids him a heartfelt goodbye.

After almost 10 years, Ariel returns to the capital and marries Dita. This is when Krim attacks Mezarte with the support of surrounding nations. In this commotion, Maquia stumbles across a pregnant Dita and helps her through her labor, while Ariel is out fighting. She then meets her adoptive son, who is injured from battle.

Maquia as seen in Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (Image via P.A. Works)

They share a heartfelt conversation where Ariel tells her that she has taught him to be kind and loving, molding him into the person he is. In return, she tells him that he’s the one who wove together everything that she is and that no matter what he decides to call her, she will make that name her own.

She meets Ariel one last time, several years after the war, when he's an old man on his deathbed. Maquia holds her adoptive son's hand as he dies and tells him that he did well living a full life. She cries once again, remembering the moments they shared together, thinking about how much he meant to her. In the end, she remarks that despite the terrible loss, loving her son brought her happiness.

Conclusion

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is a beautiful tale of love and all that comes with loving someone, both its happiness and heartbreak. The film portrays how we meet people throughout our lives only to one day leave them. However, it celebrates this phenomenon and tries to make the audience understand that the act of leaving is an important part of love.

The film sees Maquia accept her son Ariel's death and the immense pain that it brings, knowing that the moments they spent together will always be with her. The film urges us to open our hearts and always be ready to meet the next person that we will have to leave, telling us to love them until that final moment arrives.

Edited by Upasya Bhowal