Review of 'When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Mânî)'

marnie.jpeg Anna Saski is a troubled young woman who distances herself from her peers and adopted mother in Sapporo finds solace in her amazing drawings. Her adopted mother, hoping that Anna's asthma will be improved by a trip to the countryside and, perhaps, become more sociable sends Anna away to stay with her aunt and uncle who live in a small town on the ocean. Anna soon becomes intrigued by an abandoned house on the bay. Soon enough she meets a mysterious young woman, Marnie, who shares her life with Anna in the house. An unlikely friendship is forged and soon Anna is seeking out Marnie's company. Marnie's life is as troubled as Anna's with an abusive grandmother and maids seeming to delight in causing Marnie distress.

A surprisingly realistic tale from Studio Ghibli, rumoured to be the last movie ever by the great studio, with the to-be-expected incredibly beautiful visuals but coupled with a startlingly troubled main character - A bit of a departure. Ok, the troubles are fairly simplistic in nature but this is certainly not a perfect leading woman. There is much more depth here than with other Ghibli films. Though slow paced, I found the simple story quite enthralling with the ending quite touching.

I suspect that others may not share my opinion…But I would suggest that you open your mind a bit and prepare to think a bit. No amazing effects, just a simple, touching story.

Quite a nice way to go, if this is indeed Ghibli's last production.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2015-10-10


Directed by: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Studio: Dentsu

Year: 2014

Length: 103 minutes

Genre: Japanese Animation

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3398268/


Other reviewed films by Hiromasa Yonebayashi: