The fantasy adventure film “Drifting Home” on Netflix was produced by Studio Colorido and was directed by Hiroyasu Ishida. While touring a six-decade-old apartment complex, a group of elementary school pupils inexplicably find themselves in the middle of the ocean. It marks the start of their extraordinary journey, one that will see them fight for their lives and delve into the depths of human emotion. They discover the value of making peace with it and letting go of loved ones when the time is right. Here is all the information you require regarding “Drifting Home’s” conclusion. Spoilers follow!
Drifting Home Plot Summary
Despite having a long history of strong friendship, Natsume and Kousuke have recently become less close since the passing of grandpa Yasuji. They frequently argue in front of their friends, and their hostility has only become worse. Natsume, meantime, has kept the grief over losing Yasuji to herself and frequently goes back to her apartment in the Kamonomiya complex merely to revisit some of the earlier memories.
Kousuke and a few other pupils from their class visit the building, which has been standing for six decades, unaware of the perils they are exposing themselves to. When Natsume and Kousuke get into a quarrel over trivial issues, it causes a brawl that causes the former to slip from the top of the building and nearly plummet to the earth. Kousuke succeeds in grabbing her by the hands, but he immediately lets go.
However, a strange event happens just then, and the next second they are standing next to the abandoned apartment building in the midst of the ocean. They soon find themselves unable to afford necessities like food and water. Fortunately, the sixth-graders risk their lives to collect the desperately needed goods when the apartment complex occasionally runs into department stores and other abandoned structures. During one of these attempts, Juri suffers a critical injury for which Reina holds Natsume responsible.
Unfortunately, Natsume and her friends begin to lose hope over the course of the following several days, and the prospect of passing away in the middle of nowhere begins to seem like a real possibility. Despite Kousuke’s suspicions that Noppo is concealing anything, he eventually admits that he has no idea how they got into trouble and does hold some of the blame.
The apartment building begins to slowly sink, confirming everyone’s worst fears. Being quick on their feet, Natsume and her friends construct a boat to save themselves. Noppo, however, abruptly declines to travel with them and stays behind. Natsume leaps out of the boat to persuade him to accompany them since she believes she can’t let this happen. Everything changes as a result of Kousuke and others being compelled to go back in order to save the sinking apartment building.
Fortunately, they come across a Ferris wheel along the route and use it to prevent the apartment building from sinking. After a few more hours of drifting in the water, they surprisingly discover that they are slowly heading towards an island.
Drifting Home Ending: Why Was Grandfather Yasuji’s Death a Personal Loss For Natsume?
Natsume witnessed her parents arguing from an early age. Later, it had a profound psychological impact on her, and she frequently cried in the hopes that it would bring about a change. She gradually understood, though, that crying didn’t help either her or her parents, so she began acting as though everything were alright. However, her life was irrevocably altered when she met Grandpa Yasuji.
Grandpa Yasuji offered her a secure and contented existence in addition to welcoming her with open arms. Natsume quickly realised that she no longer had to put on a joyful face because he was actually happy. Therefore, the stability and normalcy he brought to her life seemed to be evaporating when he passed away. In addition to the other factors, the emotional connection they had developed made his passing very painful for Natsume.
Is Noppo a Ghost? Why Does He Part Ways With His Friends?
One of the primary characters throughout the entire movie is Noppo. He serves as the connecting element between Natsume and Kousuke’s past and present in the narrative. As he revealed in one of the heartbreaking episodes, he has lived there since since the apartment building was built, around 60 years ago, and has even spent years observing the two friends intently. Although the movie never explicitly states it, one could infer from the narrative that he is unquestionably a ghost.
He has worked at the Kamonomiya complex for many years and has rarely aged, as was previously claimed. Additionally, he remembers having seen Natsume and Kousuke spend a lot of time with the latter’s grandfather, even though the two friends have no memory of ever seeing him. It is obvious that he is a ghost given his constant presence at the facility and his ability to go unnoticed. The apartment complex travels to a secret island home to spirits like Noppo before Kousuke and his buddies head home.
Noppo informs that he must leave them at this point. They would, regrettably, be lost there forever and unable to return to their homes if they attempted to stay on the island. Even though Natsume has worked hard up to this point to keep Noppo with everyone, she stops trying to convince him when she sees that he is content with his future there. Noppo splits up with his new buddies as a result because he wants to remain on the island where he belongs.
Do Natsume, Kousuke, And Their Friends Eventually Return to Their Families? How Does Their Experience at the Sea Change Them?
As they say their final goodbyes to Noppo, he informs them that they can now securely return to their homes. Soon, the enigmatic blue radiance envelops them once more. Noppo calls them “small boys” and instructs his comrades to lead the way from this point on. Kousuke and his friends gently float away from the enigmatic island as it soon sweeps the building away. Soon after, the entire apartment building is gradually enveloped in a blue glow, and before they have time to properly process what is occurring, they notice that the building has magically returned to its former location.
Natsume learns that her mother has been searching for her desperately, which surprises her because she had previously thought that life would be better without her. In the days that follow, it is clear that they have learned to be thankful for their loved ones because they frequently felt as though they had lost everything while stranded at sea. The issue of separation and its emotional toll on children are masterfully captured in the last few minutes of the movie. As a result of their experience, Natsume and her companions learn to cherish the people in their lives while also knowing when to let them go.
