When Marnie Was There

3.5 stars (out of 4)

Released 2014 in North America (2013 in Japan)

I read a review of this movie before seeing it and the review confirmed what I usually expect from a Studio Ghibli film (sumptious visuals, meh storyline), so I wasn’t expecting much going in.

Imagine my surprise when, right from the first line, I was drawn into this story of a quietly self-loathing girl. Why does Anna feel this way about herself? When she is sent to the countryside on her doctor’s advice, why does she take this as evidence that she is not wanted? Even without understanding her history, I was immediately invested in her.

The story itself is not completely original, but the way that answers are revealed to the audience is beautifully paced, and the emotions subtle yet heart-wrenching. And, as expected of Studio Ghibli, the visuals and sound effects are a love letter to the Japanese countryside. Little details brought this world to life for me. For example, when Anna is shown to her room in the house where she is to stay, she muses to herself, “Hm, smells like a stranger’s house.” I know exactly what that feels like: uncomfortably aware that you are not home, even though you know you are welcome. Like From Up on Poppy Hill, this film felt like it had a direct grip on my heart. Suffice to say, I ran out of tissues and left emotionally spent, yet gratified.

Playing at TIFF Lightbox until July 2, 2015 – catch it while you can; it’s definitely worth seeing in a theatre! (Note: I saw the subtitled version.)

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

3 stars (out of 4)

Released 2013 in Japan, 2014 in North America

I have to confess that I’m not particularly a fan of Studio Ghibli works in general, however I was looking for an opportunity to see Tale of The Princess Kaguya after watching the trailer some months ago and hearing good word of mouth about the film.

The most remarkable thing about this movie is its gorgeous, fluid animation. In some ways, it looks somewhat unpolished, but surprisingly, it gives a masterful impression of ink drawings come to life.

As for the story itself, it’s about a little girl who is magically found in a bamboo stalk. The bamboo cutter, who discovered her, and his wife become her doting parents. He believes she is destined to be a princess and they do what they can to create a new home and lifestyle befitting of her. But will that bring her happiness?

There are a number of complex themes presented, including familial duty, love, gender roles, social hierarchy, and the meaning of life and death. Some parts are quite effectively emotional. This is the type of film that makes you think and feel but refrains from providing any answers.

Even though I personally find this kind of open, existentialist narrative a little bit unsatisfying, I still have to say I’m glad I experienced the film. I absolutely recommend Princess Kaguya for its incredibly beautiful and unique animation style. It’s an undeniably wonderful showcase for the possibilities of traditional 2-D animation.

The Wind Rises

2.5 stars (out of 4)

Released 2014 in North America (2013 in Japan)

Like other Miyazaki films, The Wind Rises charms the viewer with its pastel landscapes and simple, yet appealing characters.  The script is based on the true story of Jiro Horikoshi, the engineer who designed the bombers that were used by kamikaze pilots in WWII.

It was pleasant to watch but, in the end, turned out to be a very straightforward story about a rather ordinary man, who is never depicted as having to make tough choices, since at each fork in his road, he seems to feel that he essentially has no choice.

I felt that there were some hints early on in the film that serious and politically sensitive topics, such as the morality of the use of violence and perhaps a reckoning on the responsibility a creator has for how his designs are ultimately used, were going to be addressed.  But the filmmaker seems satisfied to limit his exploration of these issues to a few cranky remarks made by Jiro’s cynical and snarky best friend.  To be fair, I don’t know if these issues could be addressed in any satisfying way, but the way the movie flirts with these topics and then drops them is a needless disappointment.

For a while, it looked like the movie was going to dramatize how Jiro came up with his innovations or show us how brilliant they were relative to the technology of the time – in which case, I was getting ready to give kudos to the filmmaker for tackling the difficult challenge of making engineering both interesting and understandable for the lay public.  (This is definitely a difficult but not impossible feat because the rare movie has accomplished this in the past, Apollo 13 being a shining example.)  But no, disappointed again.

I must credit the excellent voice acting (I saw the English dub, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing the lead) for giving way more personality to the characters than would have been expected from their rather mundane lines and also for making me enjoy this movie on an emotional level despite feeling kind of irritated at it on an intellectual one.

FROM UP ON POPPY HILL

3.5 stars (out of 4)

Released 2011 (in Japan)

This newest offering from Studio Ghibli is currently playing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto.  I went to see it with a group of friends, one of whom had originally watched the film when it aired at the TIFFestival last September and was now seeing it for the third time!  We had the choice of watching the film with the English dub, but we elected to go with a Japanese-with-subtitles screening.

The story itself, which takes place in the 1960s, is actually quite simple and consists of two plots.  In the one, the students at a Yokohama high school are working to save their clubhouse from demolition; and the other is about the budding romance between the main girl and boy, Umi and Shun.  Unlike previous Ghibli films, which have tended toward fantasy and whimsy, FROM UP ON POPPY HILL is refreshingly more grounded in reality.

The clubhouse is a grand old building which has fallen into disrepair over the years.  Never have I thought that removing dirt and clutter and fixing up a place could look so fun.  The movie certainly succeeds at showing the wonder and rewards of teamwork.

Umi’s relationship with Shun, developing over the course of their shared activities in helping with the clubhouse, is presented in an unhurried and very believable manner.

At one point, the narrative ventures into somewhat risqué territory.  The consensus among my friends (all adults) was that it didn’t go far enough in that direction.  However, keeping in mind that this is intended to be a family film, I thought the relatively safe conclusion was both appropriate and sufficiently satisfying.  And you know?  I wouldn’t mind seeing the movie again sometime.

Edit (April 12):  Please also read Bini’s comment!
Edit 2: Sadly, all comments have been lost as collateral damage during the great spam purge of Feb 2015.