The Environment and Agency: A Critical Analysis of Suzume

Abstract

Agency is a core aspect of what it means to be a person and is central to the way that we interpret the world and ourselves. This paper analyzes how Makoto Shinkai's Suzume explores agency on multiple levels: the individual responsibility we feel in relation to environmental damage, and how lending agency to forces of the environment can heighten their salience as parties who have needs and interests. Thematic elements of the film are considered through its careful use of distance in cinematography and changes in score.