Seriously, it’s a masterpiece.
Published in · 8 min read · Mar 9, 2018
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Can I let you in on a little secret? This may be blasphemous to just about every anime fan out there, but I don’t love Studio Ghibli films. I mean, don’t get me wrong, everything from the animation, to the voice acting, characters, and themes are masterfully woven, I’ll be the first to admit. And I especially admire the restraint and maturity with which these films handle themselves, But, for whatever reason, they just don’t grab me, usually.
So when I saw When Marnie Was There (y’know, the Ghibli film that for some reason everyone thinks is about a lesbian romance?) on store shelves back in 2015, I had pretty much no interest in it. I figured if I ever watched it, I’d walk away with the same ambivalence I had when I watched The Secret World of Arrietty, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies, and Princess Mononoke. Technically great films, and yet through what I can only describe as some type of emotional defect in me, films that failed to impress. And so, I ignored it until late 2017. Boy was that a mistake.
After my friend Nathaniel stopped by my place while he was on break from college in another city, we needed something to do, and knowing he was a big fan of Ghibli movies, I suggested we watch one. Going through a list, we decided on Marnie, on account of the fact that neither of us had seen it. What followed was a shocking and heartfelt 103 minutes that flew in the face of every mild expectation I had for it. Marnie succeeded in grabbing me in a way that no other Ghibli movie could. And now I’m going to preach to you about why that is, and why you should watch it.
Reason 1: Themes That Hit Home.
At the beginning of the movie, we’re introduced to our main protagonist, Anna, as she sits on a park bench, sketching by herself while other kids play and laugh and generally make merry. “In this world, there’s an invisible magic circle. There’s an inside, and an outside. And I’m outside,” Anna monologues to us as she sketches her time away. It’s soon revealed that Anna is an orphan, her parents having died in a car accident 11 or so years ago. Anna’s parent’s deaths eat at her. She resents them for having left her, but at the same time hates herself, because she knows that they didn’t mean to, and its absurd to hold that over someone. These issues eat at our young protagonist, crippling her ability to make friends or trust the sincerity of those who claim to love her. It poisons her happiness and even physical health, saddling poor Anna with severe anxiety-induced asthma, and setting up the main conflict of the story.
And while I’ve never been an orphan or a teenage girl, as someone who spent most of their elementary years being ostracized and bullied by the other kids, who lived with a mother who became increasingly neglectful towards myself and my siblings, before straight up abandoning our family very recently, Marnie hits home with its themes of loneliness, family, friendship, and love, in a way few other films can. And I have no doubt that that goes doubly true for many of you out there.
Reason 2: It’s A Pretty Good Mystery, Too.
After the initial setup I described, Anna’s foster mother, whom she refers to as Auntie, decides it would be best for Anna and her lungs if she were to send Anna to the countryside to stay with her sister’s family, the Oiwas. There Anna is stricken by the sight of a beautiful mansion out in the nearby marsh, which she finds herself enigmatically drawn to. Its not long after that that she begins dreaming of a mysterious blonde haired, blue eyed girl who the audience knows of course, as Marnie.
The real mystery isn’t in what Marnie is however; it’s clear to the audience immediately that she’s some sort of ghost or imaginary friend. Rather, the real mystery lies in figuring out who Marnie is, why she’s appearing to Anna, and how Anna can help her, and by extension, help herself overcome her trauma. The answers to these questions, I won’t spoil here. But I will say that when I discovered them alongside Anna, I was both surprised, and as overcome with emotion as she was. Even now, thinking about it is enough to make me tear up… Have I mentioned I’ve watched this movie 6 times?
Reason 3: Adorable Chemistry
Remember how I said earlier that this is the Ghibli movie everyone thinks is a lesbian romance when they first view it? That’s arguably because of western societies’ stigma on intimacy and our collective sexualization of young women, which is a topic deserving of its own article (not to mention outside the scope of this video). For now though, I’m gonna leave it at this: Anna and Marnie’s friendship is nothing if not charming. Marnie’s charisma and rebellious, bubbly spirit plays off Anna’s quiet and shy charm with grace and ease, making each of their interactions special and immediate highlights of the movie. On first glance, Anna’s blushing, Marnie’s invitation to dance, their proclamations of love for one another, and general closeness indicates the potential for something romantic, but by the end of Anna’s journey is recontextualized in a way I personally found much more satisfying… I want to take a moment to stress here that I’m in no way saying a heartfelt movie about romance between two girls or boys for that matter, is a bad thing. Merely that I think those assumptions are misplaced in this particular film. Anyway…
Reason 4: Ghibli’s Legendary Animation
So, I know that earlier in this very same article I mentioned that movies like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke didn’t exactly blow me away, but I also admitted that they do a lot of things well; The most immediately evident of which is the quality of their animation. That same praise can be said of Marnie. Each frame of this movie may as well be a painting you could hang in a museum, whether its Ghibli’s mouthwatering foods (which have entire Tumblr blogs dedicated to showing them off), the enigmatic moonlit depictions of the Japanese countryside which have created their own sub-genre known as “Ghibli Gothic,” or the still-life portraits that make up Anna’s life. These paintings flow together in a mastery of movement and perspective that only a studio as experienced as Ghibli could bring to fruition. It’s as much a treat for the eyes as it is for the soul.
Reason 5: Have I Mentioned The Music?
Even if you ignored every other reason on this list, just, do yourself a favor and listen to Fine On The Outside, by Priscilla Ahn. And then check out her album, Just Know That I Love You, which was made to promote Marnie. When you’ve done that listen to the film’s actual soundtrack, composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu. Thank me for the plethora of awesome music recommendations later when you’ve joined me in bawling your eyes out. Then, imagine how much more meaningful all that beautiful music would have been had you watched the movie first like I suggested. Now go watch it. Experience the magic and then talk to me about it.
Reason 6: It’s Rather Underappreciated.
People like to rake hipsters over the coals for their love of all that is niche, their fetishization of hidden gems. But, truth be told, I’m certain every one of us have at least one movie, game, song, book, or painting that they love because it’s small enough that it feels like a rare, special thing only themselves and a few privileged others know about and appreciate. For me, Marnie is one of those things. I want to shout its praises out loud to anyone who will listen, and at the same time, I’m glad that it isn’t as popular as Kiki’s Delivery Service or Spirited Away. It makes finding like-minded fans that much more precious. I’m sure you’ll agree, if you give it a go.
Reason 7: Studio Ghibli’s Final Movie (For The Foreseeable Future)
In 2013, Hayao Miyazaki retired from the spotlight as a feature filmmaker. His career seemingly ended with 2013’s The Wind Rises. After that Ghibli produced The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and announced that after production on their upcoming film When Marnie Was There finished, the studio would be taking a hiatus to consider its future. Not long after this, several other key figures in Ghibli left and it seemed increasingly likely that the studio, having lost a number of its most prominent figures and its most talented director, would close its doors. In late 2017 however, it was announced that Miyazaki was leaving retirement to direct an as of yet unnamed Ghibli movie. That said, it seems like we’re still several years off from that, meaning that Marnie will remain Ghibli’s most recent work for some time. Why not pay the life and history of such a prestigious studio tribute by watching what could have been its last work? For me, it’s like the song of a phoenix, before it rises from its ashes.
Conclusion.
When Marnie Was There is a gorgeously animated, well thought out adaptation of the classic children’s novel. It balances deep and mature themes about loneliness, family, friendship, and love in a way that’s never condescending, pushy, or melodramatic. The emotional peaks of the film are made ever more potent by the fantastic songs which accompany the film, and stay in your head long after your initial viewing. You owe it to yourself to give it a watch.
