Hal (Movie)

Director: Ryoutarou Makihara
Writer: Izuma Kizara
Production: Wit Studio 
Released: June 8, 2013
End Theme: "Owaranai Uta (終わらない詩)" by Yoko Hikasa
Adaptation: manga by Umi Ayasa
Movie's Website 

Story:

Kurumi's boyfriend, Haru or Hal, dies in a plane accident.  This tragedy led her to become a shut-in. However, her grandfather  doesn't want to see his granddaughter suffer any longer.  So, he sends his android, Q01, to take on the appearance of Hal and he becomes the robot Hal. He sends Hal to take care of Kurumi and help her come out of her depression. He slowly discovers the kind of relationship that Kurumi and her boyfriend had in the past.   

Thoughts: The movie took me by surprise. I was expecting it to be a typical taboo romance between a human and a robot. But it was different. It's actually kind of a sad and upsetting story because it's about a robot replacing a loved one that someone lost. I know that Kurumi's grandpa has good intentions. But sometimes death of a loved one can be a sensitive subject. Kurumi can go either way to accept Hal or not. However, I did not expect that there will be a twist to the story. And, damn, it was a good one. Overall, I really liked the movie. It was an easy to watch film because its only an hour long. The movie deals with a difficult obstacle of overcoming and reconciling of someone's death. And, it told their story in such a bittersweet and beautiful way.