In the third year of her life, Émilie’s world quietly begins to unfold. A chance encounter with chocolate ignites her curiosity about everything around her, opening her eyes to the world for the very first time. She forms a deep bond with Ms. Nishio, the gentle and attentive housemaid, and as the seasons pass, Émilie comes to sense love, loss, and the subtle emotional currents hidden beneath the quiet surface of family life. Set in postwar Japan, her foreign childhood unfolds like a dream—soft as rain, gently permeating her unnamed emotions and inner journey.
Adapted from The Curious World of Tubes, the semi-autobiographical novel by renowned Belgian author Amélie Nothomb, this animated feature made a striking debut at the Cannes Film Festival and has since become a major awards-season contender. It won the Audience Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the Best Animated Film Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), and has also advanced to the final shortlist of six for the Golden Globe Awards, marking it as one of the most anticipated animated films of the year.