DESCRIPTION

CAST

REVIEWS

• 

  Harunobu

  60/100
  Conveying Emotions Through Visuals (Warning: Contains Spoilers)

  __Conveying Emotions Through Visuals__ __(Warning: Contains Spoilers)__

  For three decades, Studio Ghibli has enthralled people with their fantastical narratives, hand-drawn animation, memorable characters, and depiction of emotions. Sadly, When Marnie Was There marked the end of an era for a studio which was home to the likes of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, as Studio Ghibli is on an indefinite hiatus from feature length films. Amidst all the grand castles, whimsical creatures, and gutsy female heroines, is a more subdued tale that is about an introverted girl dealing with her inner problems. In its story and in its characters, When Marnie Was There is different from what Ghibli normally produces. What it does retain, however, is the studio's incredible ability to depict human emotions through the use of visuals.

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  Story:
  Stories of characters creating an imaginary friend in order to deal with their psychological problems is an all too familiar one. Often enough, imaginary characters are products of a protagonist's need for a friend. It is their need for someone who can understand them and guide them. When Marnie Was There adds a twist to this by turning the story into a mystery, but it never really presents itself as a mystery. According to Alfred Hitchcock, mysteries are an "intellectual process", but When Marnie Was There does not focus on the intellectual process. Instead, it focuses primarily on the friendship between Anna and Marnie. It is best to suspend one's critical or analytical thinking as the story goes on because it's not really much of a mystery.

  

  The friendship between Anna and Marnie is an interesting one. There are tensions and misunderstandings, but the friendship between the two is so strong that it may be interpreted by some people as a romantic relationship. The film is not without its faults because it tries to be two things at once, and the pacing of the narrative is quite slow so things never turn as complex or deeply-layered as they seem. As the film progresses, blurred lines between reality and fantasy become more imminent, particularly in the second half of the film. Whilst this blurring of reality and fantasy can happen to people who have psychological problems like Anna, the execution or approach could have been handled better. Often enough, viewers may have to interpret what is being shown to them because of the fact that information is withheld. This means that the film can get too mysterious or puzzling for its own good. If you take away the supernatural element, then it seems like an odd story about a girl consistently hallucinating and passing out in different places. Although there are hints and foreshadowing on the eventual plot twist, the film's climax is just simply an exposition dump, but can nonetheless, hit you as something that is emotionally strong.

  

  When Marnie Was There deals with dark themes right from the onset of the film, but it never touches too deeply into them and instead, offers quick resolutions to the problems that are presented. It's not the best or most complex out there, but it is a story that is melancholic and poignant in beauty even for a film that is geared towards children.

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  Art and Animation:
  It is difficult to not be swept away by the beauty of this film. There is a bucolic beauty that comes with the landscapes, nostalgia in the town and architecture, and sublimity in the details of the environment and character expressions. When Marnie Was There is such a picturesque film, that is brings not only the seaside town to life, but also the characters. From the onset of the film, we are already treated to the depiction of emotions through the movement of characters. Anna’s environment is one that is bustling with life, a place that does not befit a person who is dealing with her inner problems. There is a scene near the beginning of the film that I like where in Anna hops off the train and arrives at the seaside town. As the train behind Anna finally pulls away, we are revealed to a more quiet and subtle environment. A perfect transition where I think the animators did one hell of a job. The way the seaside town is presented is that it is made into a place of psychological healing. The characters and the setting blended very well together, giving off a feeling of realism. It is clear that the visuals were made to be the center of attention because it feels like a story on its own. There is not a literal need for dialogue or development in the emotional story that the visuals are trying to convey because it is being done with beautiful shots of moments and the natural setting.

  

  There are misconceptions that the characters are presented with blandness, and that there is also a lack of subtlety to how expressions suddenly jump from neutral to astonished. There are moments when Anna smiles (usually around Marnie, who empathizes with her), but it has to be taken note of, that the protagonist is going through a rough time, so jumping from a neutral to an astonished face is normal. Studio Ghibli has in no way, mitigated their ability to bring their characters to life. They just managed to express the characters in a more subtle way.

  

  "I think the environments and relationships that surround people who are afflicted have a great impact on their psychological healing. This is why I chose to express the sensation we feel in the coldness of water, and in smell and taste. In my films, I place emphasis on the re-creation of what we can feel with our senses. Dramatic expression is certainly one of animation’s strengths, but I believe hand-drawn animation is particularly effective with films like Marnie that appeal to the senses. With hand-drawn animation we get to choose what we want to bring across to the viewer. We can effectively show wind blowing during a moving scene and such. Because it’s drawn, we can draw things to be more beautiful than if they were filmed in live-action." - Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi

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  Sound and Music:
  The music in this film was never obtrusive. There wasn't a piece that really stood out in a scene or completely took over it because the main function of the music was to just simply be an accompaniment. To serve as a compliment so that it may further strengthen the feelings that were evoked by the setting. This is a good thing because like the visuals, the music evoked feelings of subtlety and poignancy. These feelings are all the more true for the theme; Fine on the Outside by Priscilla Ahn. It is a beautiful song that was written back in 2005, but was never released because it is quite personal. The artist finally decided to release it along with the film because she saw herself in the protagonist; Anna. The sounds for this film were also pretty good. I thought that the seiyuus for Anna and Marnie did great, and the sound effects blended well with the atmosphere to create a sense of realism.

  

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  Characters:
  Anna is certainly different from many other female protagonists of Ghibli films. She is lonely, she represses her feelings, and she is in anguish. Anna is a representation of the dark emotions that a kid can feel and go through. Anna even keeps saying throughout the film that she hates herself which hints at the possibility of suicidal intentions if she had stayed in the city. The playground scene at the beginning of the film is a very good one because it is embedded with meaning, telling us what Anna is like. In the scene, we are shown children playing in the playground and students in groups, but Anna is all alone. We see her drawing something out of fantasy, and it shows that both drawing and creating fantastical things eases her. It gives her relief even it may be a temporary form of relief. The scene gets followed by a teacher asking if he could see Anna's drawing. Anna is hesitant to show her drawing at first, but slowly decides to show and handover the drawing. As she is about to give the drawing, the teacher gets distracted by a kid who is seen crying, so he decides to head over to the scene and leave Anna behind. It's a fleeting moment that shows Anna's shyness, her hesitance to accept help, and her repression of feelings.

  

  Marnie is an ambiguous character that is the opposite of Anna. She is a manifestation of what Anna desires to be. The fact that her being a ghost or hallucination is never made clear, but it adds to the level of mysticism or ambiguity which she has. At its core, however, When Marnie Was There is about the friendship between Anna and Marnie. It is a very strong friendship that can come off as being a romance even though it is not. Their friendship is one that is heart-warming because many moments between the two characters are handled with subtlety. You won't get a complex character catharsis, but there remains a fact that this is a mature film for children.

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• 

  TheTimoo

  98/100
  For a long time, the last film of the legendary Ghibli studio

  WARN SPOILERS!

  

  Now history
  For a long time, the last film of the legendary Ghibli studio, which is undergoing a complete transformation after the retirement of the founders, was also conceived as a partition project. As the first film in the history of the studio without any creative participation of Miyazaki or Takahata, it presents the entire project of younger filmmakers, including production (led by Yoshiaki Nishimura, who led the production of "Princess Kaguji"). Unfortunately, the final Ghibli production, which was not at the top of the annual attendance ranking, unfortunately became the final in many years - sales of 3.6 billion yen represent more than Takahat's "Princess Kaguja", but at least in recent years from classically animated ghibleries. This is not the first Ghibli studio title to be targeted at adolescents, so it is speculated that the reason was rather the widely publicized retirement of Miyazaki and the impression on the part of viewers that a quality guarantor is leaving the established brand.

  But such fears dissipate immediately after the film is viewed. "When Marnie Was There" in terms of the quality of animation and screenplay fits exactly into the company's portfolio, although unlike the classics of Haja Miyazaki, it does not contain so many fantastic elements, but on the contrary focuses more directly on the psychology of the characters. This is where its uniqueness and uniqueness lies. After a shaky, albeit still delicious, "Arrietta" Hiromasa Jonebayashi demonstrated his own style and voice within the Ghibli brand. In this case, he made an enchantingly delicate film about growing up and searching for his own identity and the personal harmony associated with it. At the same time, he draws the audience into the inner world of his characters, while he transforms the classic questions of adolescence into a densely symbolist narrative, which, although unfolding in the peace of the summer holidays in the countryside, breathes great emotions.

  

  Something about the movie
  Thanks to the shadows of the present, we sometimes manage to enlighten the unknown past. Annoying asthma, a troubling little girl, is the reason why she is sent on a healing stay to her aunt and uncle in the countryside. A lonely, gloomy and not very communicative girl, she likes to draw scenes of the surrounding landscape somewhere in seclusion.
  During one of the walks through the swampy seascape, he gets to know an abandoned large house. Unknown by what, he is very close to her. He soon meets his resident - a young blonde girl, about her age. He shows her the nooks and crannies of the house and surroundings, introduces her to a party organized by the parents of the little blonde. Both girls are friends. But as a mysterious water tower rises above the country, a shadow of mystery hovers over the newly discovered friend ... A psychologically reworked and at the same time very moving animated adventure of self-knowledge of one's own past through discovered diary records.

  My statement
  I would fully understand and perhaps even approve if the Academy gave a statuette to this warm, emotional and slow film about searching for oneself through the eyes of a twelve-year-old schoolgirl than a beautifully playful and imaginative but more story-oriented Pixar notch. that the Ghibli studio did not come up with something really fantastic and exceptional this time that can catch the eye at first glance.

  The film definitely has its problems, the slowness sometimes turns into almost length, the dialogues here and there seem kind of undercooked and the story unfolds very mysteriously and mysteriously, while sometimes ignoring things that should play a bigger role due to unraveling, moreover for the eyes to the Czech viewer (or maybe just me, who knows) the fundamental problem in Anna's relationship with her aunt is, let's say, slightly ridiculous, although on the other hand, from the point of view of a sensitive child like Anna, it could certainly be crucial.

  Otherwise, it's a really beautiful, moving film, strong in depicting friendship and trying to become "normal", in which it resonates especially, after all, in the fusion of fantasy with reality, depicting scenery of nature and settlements (Ghibli and his combination of two types of drawing, one for the characters and the other for the interiors and exteriors is simple and always beautiful) and a kind of overall atmosphere, which, however, takes full advantage of all the details and emotions only after revealing what was at stake (or when one can reveal it oneself). Nevertheless, I don't think I would like to see the film again in the future, there are too many more vivid and fantastic drawings in the studio's studio and overall Japanese production, which can still tell deep and emotional stories.

  
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• 

  KrenZane

  85/100
  When Marnie Was There is a reconnection with the universe to calm the chaos and remember the truth

  Nothing new, another spoiler review

  Welcome to the countryside! The air is clean, the grass is green; community is tightly-knit in this open expanse where the appreciation of nature is commonplace, its hospitality free of charge. Abounding in agriculture, the sprouts of familial love fully grown. A place to escape the suffocating crowded town where inclusivity is hard-earned, such that loneliness befriends kids in the outer sphere. Simultaneously, a haven to recuperate, where one can breathe life from the energy stored in all that's around us, connecting us to our definite homes.

  Sounds like many other Studio Ghibli stories, huh. Undeniably, When Marnie Was There is not an exception of having the staple nostalgic Ghibli air making up the atmospheric elements of the film. Very much grounded and light, it felt most reminiscent to older creations of the studio such as Totoro and Only Yesterday. However, what separates it from many others in the catalogue, to me personally, is its use of a contemporary aspect in storytelling execution blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, made more bewildering due to the absolutely normal-looking setting where only the mansion was even a bit incongruous; but that's really not enough to set up an environment that is in itself leaning on fantastical. Because of that imbalance dancing together with harmony, When Marnie Was There was--especially in my first watch--a full-blown fever dream.

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  A Quick Recap

  The story goes as follows: young and sick Sasaki Anna who lost her parents and therefore living together with foster ones experiences struggles relatable to many children of our generation: the foreboding darkness of the future resulting from being outcast made less escapable by introversion, the loneliness that comes with it, stacked further from awareness of one's physical ails pushing their inner thoughts to conclude that one is a burden deserving this suffering. She uses art--specifically visual art in the form of drawing--to capture life as she sees it from the outside.

  This is an important point to note as we progress the movie with doubt of our sight's visual perceptions.

  After a doctor's recommendation, Anna's surrogate parents sent her to live with relatives in the countryside for the time being. Passed around and moved from place to place once again. In the countryside she spends the time in remote tranquility idly by, until she stumbles upon the majesty of the Marsh House where she eventually discovers and interacts with a mysterious Marnie who blatantly expresses her earnest longing for Anna whom she never even met before in that point in the story. Together they get to know more about each other as they dance around the gardens barefoot in the moonlight, partake in late day picnics, and rowing wooden boats to and fro.

  Already questions emerge like an array of jacks-in-the-box upon Marnie's appearance in the previously old abandoned mansion. Overtime, as weird occurrences interject between their interactions such as their sudden departures like a fading of the dream, one continues to stare at the movie in bewilderment (I'm looking at you, silo scene). And it is not only until the very end, in Marnie's reveal as Anna's grandmother, that things immediately gather around in a one big "OHHHHHHHHHHH" moment born from its immense recontextualization of Anna and Marnie's bonding in present time. Prior to that, we coincide with Anna's confusion at this mysterious turn of events amidst the ordinary wetlands of Hokkaido.

  Marnie's childhood and her drive to shatter generational trauma by striving to become a great parent despite her lapses and exhaustion, her bonding with the infant Anna until she leaves this world for the next, was to say the least, heartbreaking.

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  The Stars Align

  And I'd just like to mention how grateful I am of the existence of fictional stories. It is inseparable with an individual's reality, and depending on recent circumstances, experiencing one would be akin to the awe in seeing up-close all the stars aligning. And even in the domain of the story itself, the reveal clicked all the right buttons and completed all the puzzle pieces so satisfyingly.

  I watched this movie back in the week where we heard my grandmother from a city hours away, with travel heavily halted as it was the peak of the pandemic, was hospitalized, and I just chose a Ghibli film on my list to distract myself with the comfort of staple nostalgia. It was a blind decision; I knew nothing about this. But fate had it appropriate for me to meet this piece, and it truly made for an unforgettable experience. When Marnie Was There allowed me to connect with my grandmother miles away in the form of memories--warm, gentle memories. Scent, sight, all of my sensory mechanisms were heightened to their utmost such that I was essentially reliving the past inside her home. Thus manifests the power of fiction, allowing one to create a world and transport itself into it, time and place neither an obstacle of preclusion.

  Although the voice acting direction definitely needs improvement as I cannot deny it fluctuated the atmosphere of critical moments a few times, it is not enough of an impediment in embracing any ailing mortal with familial love. The sound design spouses the visual makeup seamlessly like key to a lock in virtualizing an environment wherein the viewer could physically bask in the setting of the movie, complete with its constituents, as if we are wrapped in a full-body green screen but with it directly influencing all of our senses to live in that virtual world. At least, that was the degree of resonance that I felt. The director's aim towards psychological healing through the help of the environment extends even beyond the characters on the screen; I, the viewer outside the screen, was myself healed by the environment. Portrayed so vividly, I could not help but succumb to my yearning of the peaceful countryside away from the toxins of the city I've lived in all my life (which, although I do not hate, still does not stop me from wishing for a change of pace), and drown in the relaxing spa massage of nostalgia and longing. In technical qualities, it did not fall short.

  And it is just the way in which the story was told, filled with so much fun and beauty from pleasant animation adorning the author's message of a loved one's presence being everywhere. The use of nature and its ubiquity is in accordance with the existence of people. Despite the clutches of death stopping their heart from beating, in the realm of the mind's subjectivity, they never cease to be. The mind is so powerful so as to be capable of conjuring the abstract and putting it into the jar of concreteness. We as humans gifted with mental capacities are able to be creators of virtually anything we could think of. The many mediums of art unlock our potential to do so. I reiterate once again Anna's talent in drawing. Despite her asthma and depression, with the help of the environment stirring up her memories of Marnie, Anna was able to tap into her enhanced imagination to be together with her grandmother once again. Of course, these were all metaphorical in basically telling us about connecting with people we deem special and the genuine love our families hold for us, but in the context of the film, it still adds to the coherence of its storytelling.

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  Conclusion

  I cannot stress its creativity in adopting such message and turning it into something more beautiful than it is. It made for a more inspiring tale. When Marnie "was" there turned, for Anna, when Marnie "is" there beside her, as she goes through a journey to connect the past together with the present.

  An additional note, "Fine On the Outside" was a perfect sendoff. The soundtrack actually became my number one playlist on Spotify Wrapped back in 2021. Bless Muramatsu Takatsugu for those enchanting compositions I could always fall back to when the waves start crashing. All hits, no misses, my good sir.

  When Marnie Was There film converges souls long separated by life and death in unification through memories, reviving what has laid to rest, in elaborate attempts to de-nourish the roots of the scars permeating all around a young, lonely girl through the revitalizing vigor the love of a caring family member holds by bestowing upon the resurrected a chance to transmit the beauty of life to the living in the form of innocent youth. When Marnie Was There is a reconnection, with people and the environment, calming the chaos running rampant within from the frustrations of loneliness and general ails. A healing movie I'm glad to have rewatched.

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