When Marnie Was There (思い出のマーニー) is a slice of life, coming of age movie based on the novel of the same name by Joan G. Robinson. The movie was produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Yonebayashi Horimasa. The film was initially released in Japanese theaters in 2014.
Twelve year old Anna Sasaki suffers from asthma. After an attack at school her adoptive parents send her for a brief vacation to a relatives house in rural Hokkaido, in an attempt to alleviate medical issues. The relatives are carefree and excited to have her as their guest. You could say they are hippies of sorts. Anna distances herself from everyone for a variety of reasons, most importantly, because of differences she perceives in herself. Unspoken differences that she feels makes her stand out from those around her. Due to her anxiety about these differences she has virtually shut herself off from the world around her. Armed with her sketchbook she wanders the small village in search of solace, avoiding any and all contact with people. She discovers an abandoned house along a marsh and decides to take a closer look. The building is foreign in design and appears to have been abandoned for some time. She lingers a little too long on the property and is unable to cross the marsh back to the village due to the tide. Luckily for her, a fisherman from the village rows his boat out to save her. Over diner her relatives explain the history of the house and don't warn her away from it, again being carefree hippies. The house was owned long ago by a foreign family and has been unoccupied for some time. Drawn to the building, Anna returns, this time catching a glimpse of human activity within. Intrigued she investigates, continuing to return to it.
In an attempt to help Anna make friend during her visit, her relatives convince her to participate with the local children during the Tanabata festival. Her inclinations for alienation take over and she verbally attacks one of the girls. Frustrated by her lack of control she runs away from the festival and finds herself at the water. She notices that the marsh house is lit up, as if it is bustling with activity. The tide prevents her from being able to walk to the house but a rowboat is moored nearby and she uses it to go to the house. As she approaches the building a blond girl she has seen in dreams rushes down to the dock to help her tie the boat up. The excited girl welcomes Anna and instantly latches on to her. The visit is short, much of it spent hiding from the girls parents and nanny. The girl, who says she left the rowboat for Anna, decides its getting late and rows her back to the village. She ask's Anna to come again and to keep their sudden friendship a secret.
Energized by this exciting new friend and the mysteries of the seemingly abandoned house, Anna returns again and again to spend time with her new friend Marnie. Marnie is the daughter of wealthy foreigners but is mostly alone in the house, kept company only by the nanny and two maids. While excited and vibrant, Marnie exudes a hidden pain. Anna, concerned for her new friend and curious about the mysteries of the house, tries to dig deeper into Marnie's problems. Things turn sour when Anna is dragged into the house during a lavish party Marnie's parents are throwing. The exposure to the foreign guests and Anna noticing Marnie's attention being taken by a young boy, force her to flee the house. Anna does not recall how she got back but is found asleep on the side of the road and returned home to her understanding relatives. The next day she returns to the marsh house, but it remains unoccupied and Marnie is no longer appears. The loss of this new friend strikes even harder when Anna discovers the house is being renovated and a new family is moving in. A young girl from the family named Sayaka finds Anna and asks her if she is Marnie. Shocked by the question, Anna works to convince her that she is not, at which point Sayaka shows her a diary discovered hidden in the house. Inside of the aged book are passages that reference Anna's time with Marnie and other events. The two girls set out to discover the truth behind Marnie. Anna sets out to meet Marnie again to find out the meaning behind everything in the diary and their time together.
Unlike the majority of movies that come out of Studio Ghibli, this one is not fanciful or super natural. When Marnie Was There is set in the real world with realistic characters. It is a well made and enjoyable story about the troubles of being different and dealing with feelings of alienation as an adolescent. The story is easily approachable for foreign audiences. The only thing that may elicit head scratching is what Tanabata is and the significance of the activities for the festival, otherwise nothing else is explicitly 'Japanese' in the film. The characters are Japanese, with the exception of Anna and her family, but the dialog and activities in the film are no different from what American people would be familiar with. The mysteries of the story will keep you guessing for a while but there are hints and clues placed through out. The pacing of the film was well done and had a satisfying resolution in the end. There are some key messages the film pushes that are well done and can begin conversations that should take place in Japan. I don't want to delve into them though, for fear of ruining the stories mysteries. The messages, though, may not be as apparent as I take them to be, so some contemplation may be needed.
As with all Ghibli films, the artwork is high quality. While the character designs are low key and standard fare for Ghibli works, the backgrounds and detail of the surroundings are amazingly well done, as is to be expected. This film did not disappoint in that regard. I was so immersed in the movie I can't really recall what the music was like... On a side note, this is one of the best done English dubs I have ever seen.
Given that this is very likely the last film that will come out of this amazing animation company it is doubly bittersweet. Doubly so with the ending of the movie, which is not bad, just touching and somewhat sad. At the time of this writing the film is just completing its limit North American theatrical release and is not yet available on disc but will be soon.
Twelve year old Anna Sasaki suffers from asthma. After an attack at school her adoptive parents send her for a brief vacation to a relatives house in rural Hokkaido, in an attempt to alleviate medical issues. The relatives are carefree and excited to have her as their guest. You could say they are hippies of sorts. Anna distances herself from everyone for a variety of reasons, most importantly, because of differences she perceives in herself. Unspoken differences that she feels makes her stand out from those around her. Due to her anxiety about these differences she has virtually shut herself off from the world around her. Armed with her sketchbook she wanders the small village in search of solace, avoiding any and all contact with people. She discovers an abandoned house along a marsh and decides to take a closer look. The building is foreign in design and appears to have been abandoned for some time. She lingers a little too long on the property and is unable to cross the marsh back to the village due to the tide. Luckily for her, a fisherman from the village rows his boat out to save her. Over diner her relatives explain the history of the house and don't warn her away from it, again being carefree hippies. The house was owned long ago by a foreign family and has been unoccupied for some time. Drawn to the building, Anna returns, this time catching a glimpse of human activity within. Intrigued she investigates, continuing to return to it.
In an attempt to help Anna make friend during her visit, her relatives convince her to participate with the local children during the Tanabata festival. Her inclinations for alienation take over and she verbally attacks one of the girls. Frustrated by her lack of control she runs away from the festival and finds herself at the water. She notices that the marsh house is lit up, as if it is bustling with activity. The tide prevents her from being able to walk to the house but a rowboat is moored nearby and she uses it to go to the house. As she approaches the building a blond girl she has seen in dreams rushes down to the dock to help her tie the boat up. The excited girl welcomes Anna and instantly latches on to her. The visit is short, much of it spent hiding from the girls parents and nanny. The girl, who says she left the rowboat for Anna, decides its getting late and rows her back to the village. She ask's Anna to come again and to keep their sudden friendship a secret.
Energized by this exciting new friend and the mysteries of the seemingly abandoned house, Anna returns again and again to spend time with her new friend Marnie. Marnie is the daughter of wealthy foreigners but is mostly alone in the house, kept company only by the nanny and two maids. While excited and vibrant, Marnie exudes a hidden pain. Anna, concerned for her new friend and curious about the mysteries of the house, tries to dig deeper into Marnie's problems. Things turn sour when Anna is dragged into the house during a lavish party Marnie's parents are throwing. The exposure to the foreign guests and Anna noticing Marnie's attention being taken by a young boy, force her to flee the house. Anna does not recall how she got back but is found asleep on the side of the road and returned home to her understanding relatives. The next day she returns to the marsh house, but it remains unoccupied and Marnie is no longer appears. The loss of this new friend strikes even harder when Anna discovers the house is being renovated and a new family is moving in. A young girl from the family named Sayaka finds Anna and asks her if she is Marnie. Shocked by the question, Anna works to convince her that she is not, at which point Sayaka shows her a diary discovered hidden in the house. Inside of the aged book are passages that reference Anna's time with Marnie and other events. The two girls set out to discover the truth behind Marnie. Anna sets out to meet Marnie again to find out the meaning behind everything in the diary and their time together.
Unlike the majority of movies that come out of Studio Ghibli, this one is not fanciful or super natural. When Marnie Was There is set in the real world with realistic characters. It is a well made and enjoyable story about the troubles of being different and dealing with feelings of alienation as an adolescent. The story is easily approachable for foreign audiences. The only thing that may elicit head scratching is what Tanabata is and the significance of the activities for the festival, otherwise nothing else is explicitly 'Japanese' in the film. The characters are Japanese, with the exception of Anna and her family, but the dialog and activities in the film are no different from what American people would be familiar with. The mysteries of the story will keep you guessing for a while but there are hints and clues placed through out. The pacing of the film was well done and had a satisfying resolution in the end. There are some key messages the film pushes that are well done and can begin conversations that should take place in Japan. I don't want to delve into them though, for fear of ruining the stories mysteries. The messages, though, may not be as apparent as I take them to be, so some contemplation may be needed.
As with all Ghibli films, the artwork is high quality. While the character designs are low key and standard fare for Ghibli works, the backgrounds and detail of the surroundings are amazingly well done, as is to be expected. This film did not disappoint in that regard. I was so immersed in the movie I can't really recall what the music was like... On a side note, this is one of the best done English dubs I have ever seen.
Given that this is very likely the last film that will come out of this amazing animation company it is doubly bittersweet. Doubly so with the ending of the movie, which is not bad, just touching and somewhat sad. At the time of this writing the film is just completing its limit North American theatrical release and is not yet available on disc but will be soon.
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