The Boy and the Heron's Reimagining of Spirited Away

[Spoiler Free Review]
Hayao Miyazaki is back again with Studio Ghibli to bring us something very different yet also familiar. A fantasy story in an autobiographical form, yet I can help but feel this may have been better done in one particular film, Spirited Away. Let's talk about it!
A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Luca Padovan, Florence Pugh, Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill
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[@Jess-qs3wq]

The film is a bit like a fever dream. It’s still fascinating how Miyazaki can tell an ambiguous story which evokes emotions without making logical sense.

[@SpannerReviews]

Honestly up there with some of the best at achieving so as well

[@itsasquid]

I really need to rewatch this film, but it's something that really grows on some people. It's a confusing acid trip of a film, but for me, it felt cathartic. I related a lot to Mahito's arc because I went through something similar when I was around his age. His journey of acceptance was something that I had to go through. I first saw the film coming out of a mini existential crisis around my birthday, but while the film was beautiful and confusing, it took me a while to digest what it meant to me. It was a little uncomfortable feeling seen like that by a film. Like, I expected to relate to his story in a way. I almost lost my mom at a young age, so stories surrounding that kind of loss always hit me differently, but I didn't expect to relate to him very closely.
I think you summed it up best about this movie. It does feel like a gigantic art piece rather than a coherent film and that's what makes it for me. It's abstract, but I understand the feelings that Miyazaki is trying to convey.

[@massimoamodeo2455]

My mother died in my arms when I was 25. Towards the end, I couldn't stop tears

[@OrtegaSeason]

"ending abruptly rushed to the finish" "Doesn't feel like a movie designed to tell a story"- Like most Miyazaki films?

[@Cinematic_Ally]

Really great video. I watched it today and still have been thinking about it. Just that indescribable feeling after watching a Miyazaki film.
A producer from the movie said that the first thing that Miyazaki said before working on this movie was that it’s going to be autobiographical, and he also didn’t want any promotional material for it, therefore it feels like a very personal movie for him.
And yeah you’re right, a lot of it doesn’t fit in if you don’t know the backstory of what’s going on. From what I understood though after reading some of Miyazaki’s experiences, is maybe he is questioning his own worth.
The granduncle feels like Miyazaki himself, and the things he has created. It is not a secret that Miyazaki is not fond of the anime community and executives and very rightfully so. So maybe he is asking himself, was creating such a world with so many wonderful characters and stories, eventually lead to a lot of vile things. So was it worth it?
And the answer is presented through Mahito. And it’s yes, because that’s how he chose to live.
It’s still so open to interpretation, and it’s not perfect but it has really grown on me.

[@SpannerReviews]

Thanks dude! And that’s some really interesting insight! Spending some more time to reflect on the film, I can see a lot of that. Him questioning himself and his work. As you say though, and to a benefit I guess, is that it’s able to be interpreted in so many different ways

[@dcar6530]

the Japanese title is 'How you want to live your life'

[@Novaurawr]

Nice vid!

[@SpannerReviews]

Thanks! ☺️

[@Novaurawr]

@@SpannerReviews
No prob 👍