I've probably started a review of a Hayao Miyazaki film stating it's his final film before, but "The Boy and the Heron", for more reasons than one, certainly feels like the final cut. Now aged eighty-two with an ever-increasing gap between films, it would sadly appear unlikely another feature will be made. "The Boy and the Heron" would show that Miyazaki now also knows the gig is up, feeling like a culmination of a life's work, looking backwards rather than forwards.
Mahito's (Soma Santoki) mother is killed in a Tokyo fire, and so later goes to live in the countryside with his father and stepmother (also his aunt). His father the owner of an aeronautics factory, he has a large plot to explore, finding a mysterious old building. But he also finds himself stalked by a grey heron (Masaki Suda) who appears to mean him harm.
But with his stepmother Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura) going missing, he confronts the heron and the pair go looking for her, finding themselves at the mysterious building of unknown origin. This takes them into worlds within worlds, as they are helped and hindered along the way by various people and creatures.
There's a lot going on here, and, it's fair to say, too much. There are some good moments, but this is a film that gets a little lost within itself as it tries to squeeze in too much into its two hours. While there are similarities in all of his films, each has its own unique charm. "The Boy and the Heron", however, feels more like a greatest hits parade, with many moments reminiscent of what has come before. You can probably go through the whole film and equate moments to earlier works every step of the way.
Whether intentional or not, this can show both a filmmaker struggling for original ideas, but also a messy and convoluted storyline that can become difficult to follow and disengaging. Miyazaki films can almost be made by their moments for reflection, but here you barely feel able to breath as we race into another world of new characters. The result is a film that has some of the confusion and struggles of some of Ghibli's - not just Miyazaki's - lesser works, such as "The Cat Returns" (2002) and "Tales from Earthsea" (2006).
A problem for Miyazaki is that you are judging his films by such high standards, in a career that has never really declined, just become sparse. This is good, but it is by no means great; probably most reminiscent of "How's Moving Castle" (2005) in that it tries to open too many doors. Miyazaki is at his best when he keeps things simple, but feels like he's trying to push the magic and wonder here, rather than let it out naturally.
Comedy is perhaps the strength of the film, with more outright laughs than I can remember from Miyazaki before. To start, the elderly maids of the country house, while familiar in design, have the mannerisms of excited children, hungry for treats from the big city. Though Suda as the heron is the standout, starting as a squawking threat, but becoming the buddy sidekick and a constant source of humour, as one of Miyazaki's most comical characters.
As ever, Joe Hisaishi delivers a memorable soundtrack, with a sparse and simple piano a reminder that Ghibli is at its best when uncomplicated. And simplicity is the word for the somewhat abrupt ending. In a film that has so much going on, the coda is almost notable in its inactivity, and feels like a fitting way to end. A career that has brought so much, should say a quick goodbye and leave us with good memories.
Politic1983.home.blog.
Mahito's (Soma Santoki) mother is killed in a Tokyo fire, and so later goes to live in the countryside with his father and stepmother (also his aunt). His father the owner of an aeronautics factory, he has a large plot to explore, finding a mysterious old building. But he also finds himself stalked by a grey heron (Masaki Suda) who appears to mean him harm.
But with his stepmother Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura) going missing, he confronts the heron and the pair go looking for her, finding themselves at the mysterious building of unknown origin. This takes them into worlds within worlds, as they are helped and hindered along the way by various people and creatures.
There's a lot going on here, and, it's fair to say, too much. There are some good moments, but this is a film that gets a little lost within itself as it tries to squeeze in too much into its two hours. While there are similarities in all of his films, each has its own unique charm. "The Boy and the Heron", however, feels more like a greatest hits parade, with many moments reminiscent of what has come before. You can probably go through the whole film and equate moments to earlier works every step of the way.
Whether intentional or not, this can show both a filmmaker struggling for original ideas, but also a messy and convoluted storyline that can become difficult to follow and disengaging. Miyazaki films can almost be made by their moments for reflection, but here you barely feel able to breath as we race into another world of new characters. The result is a film that has some of the confusion and struggles of some of Ghibli's - not just Miyazaki's - lesser works, such as "The Cat Returns" (2002) and "Tales from Earthsea" (2006).
A problem for Miyazaki is that you are judging his films by such high standards, in a career that has never really declined, just become sparse. This is good, but it is by no means great; probably most reminiscent of "How's Moving Castle" (2005) in that it tries to open too many doors. Miyazaki is at his best when he keeps things simple, but feels like he's trying to push the magic and wonder here, rather than let it out naturally.
Comedy is perhaps the strength of the film, with more outright laughs than I can remember from Miyazaki before. To start, the elderly maids of the country house, while familiar in design, have the mannerisms of excited children, hungry for treats from the big city. Though Suda as the heron is the standout, starting as a squawking threat, but becoming the buddy sidekick and a constant source of humour, as one of Miyazaki's most comical characters.
As ever, Joe Hisaishi delivers a memorable soundtrack, with a sparse and simple piano a reminder that Ghibli is at its best when uncomplicated. And simplicity is the word for the somewhat abrupt ending. In a film that has so much going on, the coda is almost notable in its inactivity, and feels like a fitting way to end. A career that has brought so much, should say a quick goodbye and leave us with good memories.
Politic1983.home.blog.