Joey Magidson
I have a confession to make. The works of Hayao Miyazaki mostly bounce off of me. Much like how I rarely connect with Wes Anderson films, Miyazaki’s are just not my cup of tea. Now, I fully concede that I’m wrong and everyone else is right. Plus, it’s not that I don’t recognize the brilliance unspooling in front of me. I just don’t get the same feeling everyone else does. So, while The Boy and the Heron clearly is functioning as a swan song, it didn’t move me like it probably will move you. That doesn’t mean that it’s not great. All it means is I didn’t get out of it what you will.
The Boy and the Heron is absolutely gorgeous to look at, regardless of anything else. Miyazaki’s hand drawn animation style is singular and nothing short of a series of paintings put forth before you. The story here is also clearly deeply personal to him, especially as he’s more or less saying goodbye to his audience. The more you’re into his flicks, the more you’re likely to be stunned by what he’s presenting here.
In the opening sequence, we learn that Mahito (voice of Soma Santoki) has lost his mother in a hospital fire during the firebombing of Toykyo. A time later, his father Shoichi (voice of Tokuya Kimura) has sent him to live with his aunt, the pregnant Natsuko (voice of Yoshino Kimura), who also will be Shoichi’s new wife. Natsuko tells Mahito that she’ll be his new mother, which could present all sorts of issues, but no sooner do they arrive at her secluded home then a heron becomes his main concern.
Seemingly being stalked by the bird, he sees it as a sign. So, once he interacts with it (voice of Masaki Suda), things take a turn. The original Japanese release really stressed not saying much more about what happens, so I’ll respect that, but there’s a lot of Miyazaki standbys, including fantastical creatures and a world far different than our own.
As always, the characterizations and voice work are uniformly good, though filmmaker Hiyao Miyazaki himself, as well as the animation, is really the star. Miyazaki is undoubtedly a master…he’s just not for me. The music is also a highlight, as the score from Joe Hisaishi is quite lovely. Miyazaki’s style here evokes more of Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away than The Wind Rises, but you’ll immediately know it’s his movie you’re watching.
By the by, if you see the film dubbed, as opposed to with subtitles, the voice cast consists of Mamoudou Athie, Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, and others. So, you have that choice, at least.
The Boy and the Heron will bowl over Miyazaki fans, to be sure. I’m not one, but I can see why he has this sort of effect on people. It’s certainly at worst a co-frontrunner for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, as well as a seminal work in the master’s filmography. If you dig on his movies, you’re in for a treat.
SCORE: ★★★
Comments
Loading…