“The Boy and the Heron” is a Studio Ghibli film focusing on the adventure of a young 12-year-old boy, Mahito, who had to move away from his hometown after his mother’s death; however, when exploring his new home, a talking gray heron informs Mahito that his mother is still alive. In search of his mother, he follows the heron through an abandoned tower, as this tower isn’t simply a tower, but a magical tower, it transports him to a whole different world of worlds.
As this is going to be Hayao Miyazaki’s, director of “The Boy and the Heron,” final contribution to Studio Ghibli’s collection we see multiples of similar symbols from his previous films shared across the movie. I, honestly, adore that contribution to the film as well as the different similarities between Miyakia’s life and the character’s life. It really develops the intellect and creativity put into this film. I also think it’s really interesting to see the way this film represents Miyakia’s life and career as he’s directed these several passion-invoking films.
Not only did I love the symbolism in this film, I loved the film as a whole! The magical look of each scene, as well as the way it inserts the viewer into the film through depicting thoughts almost all of us have faced and questioned, is a beautiful way to relate the unusual story to the viewer. As well as it reaches out to the audience with the moral questions portrayed near the end of the movie, asking whether you’d be willing to inherit the responsibility of maintaining one of the alternate realities in its entirety. In the film, we do see Mahito respond by declining this offer as he doesn’t believe he is the right choice for such a high responsibility due to the fact he isn’t free of the feeling of malice as shown through the scar he inflicted on himself at the beginning of the film.
I did look into the movie before going to see it and I do feel it is a tad underwhelming compared to what people were making it out to be. Despite that bit of disappointment, due to expecting more, It was still such an incredible movie representing the knowledge of life through the darker sides as well as the lighter, such as depression, love, acceptance, death, dedication, creation, destruction, wonder, joy and so forth! We can see these ideas of life being represented through various scenes such as watching the flames go up around the hospital of Mahito’s mother, seeing the repercussions of Mahito deciding to harm himself, the elders protecting Mahito while he slept, the alternate world falling apart in the end, and many other scenes have conveyed these symbolic parts of life. I sincerely do recommend checking out this film as it holds such a creative and amazing story throughout all of its clear passion.
