*minor spoilers ahead*
The long-awaited Studio Ghibli movie The Boy and The Heron was finally released in theatres this month, making it the twelfth feature film by director Hayao Miyazaki (with over a decade since his last release) and the last one before he officially retires.
The film follows twelve-year-old Mahito Maki during a period of war in the 1940s. He is traumatized by the death of his mother and is distraught after his father moves to remarry and makes him move to the suburbs. After the move, strange and fantastical events start taking place with a grey-blue heron as the culprit. Due to Mahito’s curiosity, he pushes the boundaries of reality too far and ends up going on a fantastical adventure which forces him to come to terms with how he copes with loss.
When I went into this film, I had undoubtedly high expectations. Miyazaki’s films and other Studio Ghibli movies shaped my adolescent years, as the films’ themes often portray a duality between utopian and dystopian landscapes (often ones of violence and war) which helped me reflect on what truly matters in the human world we live in. This film matched this idea with surprising efficiency, as Miyazaki’s signature theme of war and humanity is explored through Mahito’s perspective and raises the question—how do we go on?
For me, this movie ticked all the boxes of what I was looking for in a classic Miyazaki film, with some of my favourite elements exaggerated even further than before. The Warawara species was a personal favourite of mine, with a similar vibe to the Soot Spirits from Spirited Away and the Kodama from Princess Mononoke. I also really enjoyed the Parakeet’s crazy obsession with eating people, it provided truly horrifying and hilarious moments in the film which provided brevity from the dark plot points about fascism and grief.
Something else that I love about this film is that the leads are fleshed out with personalized intentions and desires. Adding humanity and realism to the characters helped the story to feel more full and intentional, rather than 2D. Honestly, there were still a few characters, especially supporting ones, that I would have enjoyed getting more from, but in comparison to other modern films, I think this one did a good job.
I think my biggest criticism of this film is that the second half of it is rushed. There are so many exciting twists and revelations during this period, that I would’ve appreciated a longer run time (instead of two hours, maybe another half hour) to get settled and absorb these new ideas before having to race to the next.
This is a film that you don’t want to miss seeing—especially if you are any sort of Ghibli fan. Make sure to see this movie while it’s still in theatres—so, get some popcorn and get ready to contemplate the meaning of life!