Movie No. 8 (2016): WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE
When Marnie Was There (2014)
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
An animated film, in Japanese, with English subtitles
An introvert, adolescent girl (Anna) is sent by her foster mother to a sleepy, coastal town in Hokkaido for clean to improve her health. There, Anna becomes fascinated by a seemingly abandoned mansion in the marsh and meets an blonde girl about her age (Marnie) who lives there. Marnie may or may not be real. There she also meets other interesting characters that makes her discover her family's history.
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
An animated film, in Japanese, with English subtitles
An introvert, adolescent girl (Anna) is sent by her foster mother to a sleepy, coastal town in Hokkaido for clean to improve her health. There, Anna becomes fascinated by a seemingly abandoned mansion in the marsh and meets an blonde girl about her age (Marnie) who lives there. Marnie may or may not be real. There she also meets other interesting characters that makes her discover her family's history.
The overall experience in watching the movie is akin to seeing a movie adapted from a novel that could have been written by Charles Dickens.
What makes Studio Ghibli animated films different (in a good way) is its making Japanese culture and family relations at the centerpiece, sometimes interspersed, in the narrative. The traditional animation and subtle colors make the movie less strenuous to the eyes than the blockbuster animated movies in Hollywood.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: January 17, 2016
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