The Boy And The Heron

[Peach Boy]

Originally Posted by nagpo

I posted this in the Ghibli thread but i'll repost my thoughts here:

Surprised about the reception it's getting here. I really loved this movie. I think it's much better than The Wind Rises, his previous movie. This is one of those movies where it warrants multiple viewings because there are a lot of themes - obviously the pelicans very much represented the Japanese during that era. As previously mentioned, there are a lot of allegories.

But I think the more surface story is good as well. It's a coming of age story about overcoming grief and coming to terms with death.

[Show spoiler]
One of the points that I was somewhat confused with was when he finds his aunt/step-mother and he tries to get her to return with him but she says she hates him and rejects him. I was a little confused here and I think her reasoning was poorly told by miyazaki. But I think she began to resent him as much as mohito resented her. Although she was trying her best as his new mother, he wasn't making it easy and so she began to resent the situation. Which was partly why it was so easy for her granduncle to spirit her away - his motive was to get mohito to take over the fantastical realm which he had so perverted with his malice.

Anyways, tell me what you think.

This is a keystone ghibli movie and if they stop here ghibli would end on a really good note. Not that dud earwig. But I know Miyazaki is at it again (both of them I think). So let's see how things go from here! The future is looking bright if they can keep the quality at this level.

I agree with your take comparing this to The Wind Rises, but I'm also way more down on that movie than most people. That was a really beautiful film that left me feeling cold enough that I've never rewatched it, even though I have the steelbook sitting on my shelf waiting...

I think your spoiler-hidden take is ultimately correct as well.

[Show spoiler]His coldness and rejection of her is a constant reminder to her of a) his resentment, b) her "failure" as a stepmother, c) her own sister's death. Lashing out there isn't unreasonable.

I wonder if people's feel for this movie could be dependent on their relationship to grief and the recency of that grief. I've had two close family members die in the past three years, so the themes felt right at home in my head and heart. Like the movie says,

[Show spoiler]"you'll forget in time," so maybe this doesn't sit as well if you've forgotten...