So, today, as I lie in bed looking pale and ill, as I am, I write a review for the beautifully animated film, When Marnie Was There.
When Marnie Was There, or Omoide no Marnie (as in Japanese), is a Japanese film produced by the Studio Ghibli team. The film is based off of the book by Joan G. Robinson.
IMDb sums it up pretty well in the summary of...
"Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl [last part remove because I don't wanna give anything away]."
I went to see this film last year when it was on at the Auckland Film Festival, and boy, I do not regret it. The people around me probably regretted going to see it though, as I cried from about 5 minutes into the film until after the credits. I literally cried and sniffled the whole way through this film. At the time I would have been getting extremely emotionally attached to this film and I just wanted to hug these fictional characters and I wanted to be in that movie with them. I would like to take a minute to say how I was on the Studio Ghibli bandwagon at the time of viewing this film, so my opinion was biased because I absolutely loved them. Continuing on...
So the first thing in the movie, basically, that happens is that Anna (the protagonist of this story) is sent off on a train with her bag to go live with some of her relatives for a while. Anna is pretty bloody depressed, so of course if you don't like that then you're gonna be angry at her for being 'a depressed and selfish teen'. But it adds to the film. It just does. It feels real... Well to an extent. I cried. I cried at the start of the film because if I was sent away from my mama I'd be quite upset, but yeah hahah, continuing on again...
So it takes a good while until she actually stumbles upon the mansion and meets Marnie. That is all I'm going to say because I don't want to give anything away oh goodness it's too good.
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There is detail in the animation, as I hope you can see by this picture. If you are familiar with the style of Studio Ghibli, then it's pretty much the same. I say that ignoring the movie 'My Neighbors The Yamadas', because that did have a wayyyy different approach to animation than the rest of the films that Studio Ghibli has made.
I really, really liked the characters in this film. I found myself getting super attached to the characters, which does not happen in many films that I watch, and I felt so involved in this movie.
I thought that the plot was totally flawless at the time, but of course now that would change if I rewatched the movie.
I think it was more the time of my life that I was at that made me really, really love this film. I think if I watched it now then I would have a very different view of the film and the plot. My father, who took me to see the movie at the time (thnx papa Peck), guessed where the plot was going about 15 minutes into the film. I was too busy crying my eyes out to notice it hahahaha.
At the time of watching it, and for a long time after my original watching of When Marnie Was There, I would have given it a solid 10/10.
Now, however, both looking back on myself and the film at that time, I think if I were to rewatch it, I would probably give the movie a 8/10 popcorns.
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I think this could also be considered a very feminine family film (such alliteration!), but I still recommend it if you want to go on a magical emotional trip. I do not guarantee that you will like it, or that you will bawl your eyes out after seeing it, but I personally enjoyed it.
My next review will probably be a combo of Spirited Away, and then My Neighbor Totoro as well.