Film critic Jonathan Sim's review of The Boy and the Heron, a new Studio Ghibli movie from writer/director Hayao Miyazaki.
We’re lucky to live in an era where we can see a new film from Hayao Miyazaki. The 82-year-old Japanese filmmaker is a legend, with classics like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Howl’s Moving Castle under his beard. It’s been ten years since Miyazaki’s last film, The Wind Rises, and he has come out of retirement for his latest,. It’s easy to see why this animated fantasy film has garnered universal acclaim from the critics and audiences who have been fortunate enough to see it already.
An early scene features Mahito’s mother dying in a hospital fire. He could not stop it from happening, and his regret and grief define him. Mahito’s father remarries his late wife’s younger sister Natsuko. For much of the first act, it appears that this will be the emotional core. You get a sense of their tension as Mahito struggles to accept his pregnant stepmother.
The Boy and the Heron wants you to be invested in many different relationships as Mahito meets many people on his journey. He meets a seafarer named Kiriko, a woman with magical powers named Himi, and his great-uncle. While each of his relationships with them could have been unique and fascinating, we don’t get to learn enough about the supporting characters for them to leave an impact.
Some pieces of imagery are surprisingly graphic, with characters and ideas that sometimes feel out of place with the rest of the film. There are dark, disturbing ideas littered throughout. However, the movie never lingers on them long enough to take you out of the experience.
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