The Boy and the Heron (2023)
There is something about Miyazaki’s films that keeps me coming back to watch more of his, but it is not without some struggle and an increasing doubt whether I actually like his work. I have seen many other reviewers praising this for being full of questions and something one can ponder on for a while and never fully understanding it. Which is fine, I can also like films like that, but I still need some hook that makes all the opaque and weird stuff interesting. My Neighbor Totoro had a lovely charm and peaceful atmosphere, which I think this lacks and all the strange fantastical stuff that happens towards the end here felt more random and unengaging.
I really think this started well. I liked the melancholic slow pace and we really understood Mahito’s loss and frustrations. The heron was initially a quirky and mysterious creature that gently introduced the fantastical elements. I didn’t mind that the first half is basically plotless and more of a moodpiece, giving time and space to enjoy the fantastic animation and the beautiful natural surroundings. But as the weird concepts with all the birds, numerous other fantastical beings and parallel worlds are ramped up, I gradually lost interest in the themes. The film certainly has huge ambitions with how it all leads to the fate of the universe somehow, but since all these things just explode at a rapid pace and Mahito is merely being thrown into all these situations and then everything is teared down again in a matter of minutes, I found it hard to really feel the weight of what was happening. It should feel big and important.
Still, there is still something about his films that doesn’t dissuade me away from them, even though it is struggling experience.
Rating: 3