The Boy and the Heron - Movie Review

The Boy and the Heron is directed by the one and only Hayao Miyazaki and is reportedly his last film. This is not the first time I've said that when I reviewed The Wind Rises 10 years ago. That's what everyone was saying then too. So a young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with a gray heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world and the truth about himself. But before we get into the rest of the video, I do want to give a special thank you to the sponsor, BetterHelp. Everything that's gone on in the past few years has been a lot for me to process, what with becoming a father, directing a movie, the actor strikes, the writer strikes. It's been a year that's made me very grateful to have BetterHelp. To get started, you fill out a questionnaire to help assess your specific needs and then you'll get matched with your therapist, in most cases within 48 hours or less. 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Thank you so much to BetterHelp for sponsoring this video. This is probably, unfortunately, the last time we'll see a new Hayao Miyazaki film in a theater, and it took me longer to review this than normal because the first time I saw the movie, I wasn't really prepared for it. I went in with the wrong mindset. I didn't watch any trailers because it was released in Japan without any trailers, just a poster, and I was like, you know what? Even though the U.S. has trailers, I'm going to honor that decision and I'm not going to watch any of them, and I went to the movie knowing the original Japanese title of How Do You Live, but seeing that it was changed to The Boy and the Heron made me think it was going to be a somewhat more easygoing watch, and I was wrong. I wasn't prepared for how complex the film was, how deep it went into specific issues, and how it wasn't really an easy watch. Admittedly, the film can be a bit confusing, so I saw it a second time with all that in mind. Now I've seen the English dub as well as the original Japanese language version, which I can say is definitely the better version. I don't mind English dubs. In fact, I like watching English dubs quite a bit. I think some of them can be made with a lot of skill. I'm not saying the English dub is bad, but having seen both versions, I think the Japanese one holds up and feels more like the right tone for the movie, although Robert Pattinson as the Heron is insane. I never would imagine that sound coming out of him. Since the U.S. title is The Boy and the Heron and the original Japanese title is How Do You Live, I have to ask myself which one I like better, and I think having seen the film twice, the answer is obvious. And that title change could actually be one of the biggest reasons I wasn't really prepared for the movie, because The Boy and the Heron sounds more like a fun movie that you can sit down and relax and watch, like a Kiki's Delivery Service or a Ponyo, something that isn't going to necessarily challenge you. And I think that's probably why it was changed, because How Do You Live sounds considerably more like a movie that's ready for introspection, that's going to ask something of you as an audience member, and it's the much better title in my opinion. Every artist of any medium puts a little bit of themselves into their work. If you're a painter, you're probably painting things that inspired you or that haunt you or that you saw in your dreams. If you're a filmmaker, you're making movies that meant something to you, that connected with you in some way. Same with an author, whatever. Everyone puts a little bit of themselves into their work, Miyazaki especially. His films have shown a love for aviation, have expressed grief and loss that he's gone through in his life, and a lot of his protagonists relate to his life in some way or another. And this film feels just as personal, in fact probably more personal than any of his works, because you can look at this movie and read so much into it, if you know anything about Miyazaki's life or his history, when it comes to the loss of his mother, what his father did for a living, what Miyazaki might think is expected of him as an artist, as someone who has essentially held up an empire for many decades. The journey that Mahito goes on in the movie can feel rather convoluted and disjointed. Certain creatures down there will float upwards and we're told that they will become living beings on the real world side of things. This island that he's on is surrounded by water, it seems like nobody can escape it. As soon as he ventures into this world, the movie takes on a dreamlike feel that reminded me more of Angel's Egg than anything Ghibli's ever produced. Which is why I'm blown away that it's number one in the box office, that it got great reviews from critics and people, and that it's doing as well as it has, because this is by no means a movie that kind of takes you by the hand and says, have fun, this is not necessarily a movie for kids either. This is a deeply mature film, obviously Miyazaki's name has something to do with this, but I also think that people are excited to see something that is somewhat challenging. In typical Ghibli fashion, the animation is absolutely astonishing. It was so wonderful to see a hand-drawn movie on the big screen, and part of me really hopes that its number one opening at the box office will make some people in Hollywood start thinking, like, maybe we could do some more hand-drawn features. I know that style is very time-consuming and difficult, but there's a sequence in this movie where Mahito has to cut open a fish, and what occurs, I haven't seen anything that visually arresting in an animation since Akira. And what's so great is that it's kind of played for a laugh. You could also look at the narrative that unfolds once Mahito journeys into this world as a bit of an allegory for Miyazaki's life and career, not just for the loss of his mother or his father's job, but his career as the head of Studio Ghibli, as somebody who's brought all of these classic films to us. And I don't think that there is a definitive answer, so to speak. I think that similar to Oshii's Angel's Egg, you could read a different emotions that are explored thoroughly, as well as autobiographical stories of Miyazaki that we might know, and some that we might not know. Of course, it is in some way loosely inspired by the book How Do You Live? Mahito is gifted that book in the movie, but in so many ways, Miyazaki has made this his own film. Not everyone is going to like The Boy and the Heron, or How Do You Live?, because it is not exactly an easy movie. It is a rather difficult one that doesn't immediately give you all the answers, and might be a little too confusing. But I do think that it is an extremely well-animated, gorgeous movie with an amazing Joe Hisaishi score. And I also think that it is a movie that people will talk about for many, many years for that very reason. It doesn't want to make this easy for you. It wants to present you with ideas, thoughts, and themes, and then let you take it your own way. And I think that that is really only the type of movie that a true master can make, because they've already proven themselves. And so now they're going to make a film that is just as beautiful as their other works, but is going to make you sit back and think for a very long time. And I love that. So if you haven't seen the movie, I really think you should check it out. It's worth your time. Guys, thank you so much as always for watching. Look forward to more videos very soon. And if you like this, you can click right here and get Stuckmanized.