I don’t often enjoy movies centered around kids, but I have to acknowledge an exceptionally good showing from the young Hinata Hiiragi as the timid and isolated "Hoshikawa." We'll get to him shortly; initially, the film unfolds across three sections, like a fire consuming the heart of a city tower block. The initial part introduces us to “Minato” (Soya Kurukawa), an intelligent and affable boy living with his single mother (Sakura Ando). She begins to notice that he’s acting strangely, and after some looking into things, she suspects he's being picked on at school. A visit with the recently grieving Principal (Yûko Tanaka) suggests that his teacher "Hori" (Eita Nagayama) might be responsible, and an apology is offered. The next portion continues the same narrative, but this time we see it through the eyes of the teacher, a dedicated and passionate educator. While there are parallels between these two viewpoints, the resolution from the first doesn’t fully align with what's revealed in the second. Then comes the final section where the two boys really take charge of the drama, allowing us to understand the mysteries presented earlier and learn more about their complicated personalities. It's this third part that proves most absorbing. The older boy has to balance pressure from his friends who consider his friend peculiar, even suggesting he’s unintelligent, while he himself recognizes "Hoshikawa" as a kind, inquisitive, and dependable young man grappling with numerous personal challenges on an almost daily basis. There's also a lot happening among the adults. The head teacher is clearly concealing something significant, and “Mr. Hori” encounters several situations that brought to mind the recent "Teacher’s Lounge." A typhoon, some tunnels, and an old railway car create a fitting backdrop for the unfolding events—not so much a shock as a chance to see what might occur next. The director is particularly skilled at allowing us into the thoughts of both the children and the adults while also enabling our own observations of a story about two young boys during a vulnerable period in their lives, prompting reflection on one’s own childhood experiences.

Source on TMDB