THE BOY AND THE HERON (KIMITACHI WA DÔ IKIRU KA)
Cert 12A
124 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate threat, bloody images, brief self-harm
"This is very weird!" Mrs W overheard a father saying to his adult daughter at Nottingham Showcase Cinema.
I confess I hadn't heard the conversation because I had dropped off for five minutes.
The Boy and the Heron is probably for the young or the young at heart because, despite being fans of Studio Ghibli, it was too surreal for us oldies.
Maybe fans of Alice In Wonderland would appreciate its offbeat charm and hidden meanings, but that was another film during which I fell asleep.
But nobody could deny Hayao Miyazaki's movie is ambitious. Every scene is dreamlike and vibrant.
The movie is set during the Second World War when young Mahito (Luca Padovan) and his father (Christian Bale) leave the city after the death of Mahito's mum in a hospital fire.
When they arrive, Mahito is introduced to Natsuko (Gemma Chan), who announces that she will be his mother from now on and that she is pregnant.
Inevitably, Mahito is destabilised, so he goes for a walk and discovers a rundown house and a talking heron (Robert Pattinson).
Both are key ingredients in an incredible adventure.
So, Mahito becomes immersed in a parrel world where his mum (Florence Pugh) is the same age as him, and there is a wise great uncle (Mark Hamill), very scary pelicans and giant canaries.
Dreamlike sequences with vibrant colours and many scary scenarios follow, and Mahito always escapes at the last second.
There may be hidden meanings, or Miyazaki's film demanded broader imaginations than ours to gain full appreciation.
I did admire the film-making, but the storyline left us baffled.
Reasons to watch: Looks great
Reasons to avoid: Hard to follow
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10
Did you know? In ancient Rome, the heron’s cry was viewed as a harbinger of change. In ancient Egypt, it was associated with creation and rebirth. Japanese folklore sees the heron as divine, able to traverse across the three elements: earth, air and water.
The final word. Cinematographer, Atsushi Okui: "Whether we can recreate the images inside of Miyazaki’s head, or even if they’re different, as long as we can surpass his expectations then that’s okay. That’s what we’re aiming for." Letterboxd
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