kathylovesstuff

[kathylovesstuff]

THE BOY AND THE HERON • 君たちはどう生きるか 2023 | dir. Hayao Miyazaki

[kathylovesstuff]

“Not all men.”

You’re right.

They would NEVER.

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THE BOY AND THE HERON ‘君たちはどう生きるか’ dir. Hayao Miyazaki

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Chris Pratt using his normal voice as Garfield meanwhile Robert Pattinson over here using his most fucked up gremlin voice to play a bird that you wouldn't even know it was him until you saw the credits

[kathylovesstuff]

Fellas, if something is truly inspiring, it is:

Hayao Miyazaki made an uncompromisingly personal, artsy movie that no one was supposed to get because it's too personal, too dark, too 'exotic' or whatever. And it actually became immensely successful and popular despite it (because of it???) And Disney made the safest, most backbone-less, most non-combative and soy and politically correct and soft and crowd-pleasing 'Wish' and it failed!!! It fucking failed, my friends! A historical moment! Should we finally throw away all those Hollywood seminars and workshops that try to sell us 'how to make the universally loved stories Disney style'???

There is nothing universal about any movie.

And the world is finally hungry for something different.

[kathylovesstuff]

Was anyone going to tell me that the Boy and the Heron is only the international title. The original and real title is How Do You Live?, which is the title of pre existing book that is referenced in the film. More importantly it made me stop obsessing over what makes the heron a deuteragonist so essential his bond with Mahito is crucial to the title and instead look at the themes of progressing in life and over coming grief, something I consider to be a much more moving part of the film. Deeply upset that I was working off that title which feels much blander than How Do You Live. Help

[kathylovesstuff]

The Boy And The Heron Is the first movie that instead of saying "the world we're giving you Is fucked up and horrible and it's up to you to fix it" went "i cannot balance this world anymore because im old and my time has come, so im giving you the choice to be my successor as the peacemaker or war instigator and i think you're worthy of... nevermind the fascist bird fucked it completely. go live your best mundane life and be happy to have loved ones" and i think thats beautiful

[kathylovesstuff]

The Boy And The Heron Is the first movie that instead of saying "the world we're giving you Is fucked up and horrible and it's up to you to fix it" went "i cannot balance this world anymore because im old and my time has come, so im giving you the choice to be my successor as the peacemaker or war instigator and i think you're worthy of... nevermind the fascist bird fucked it completely. go live your best mundane life and be happy to have loved ones" and i think thats beautiful

[kathylovesstuff]

[kathylovesstuff]

I cant stop thinking about The Boy and the Heron.

It's horrifying. It's fantastical. It's tragic. It's beautiful. It's hopeful.

It's about grief. It's about family. It's about war. It's, "You don't have to walk the same path your ancestors did." It's "Your lived experience builds a world as deserving of your attention and care as your inner world" and "You inherited a flawed world, and you are flawed, and that is still beautiful" and "I made this beautiful thing and it's ending and that's just how it goes, but wasn't it beautiful?"

It makes me think about the worlds we make within ourselves and how they can be entrancing and wonderful even as they lead us to walk deeper into ourselves and away from those around us. It makes me think about connection, about how love can be so flawed sometimes but it is still something we need to hold onto. It asks "What if the monsters never asked to be monsters?" and "What if things can die before they're even born?"

It's about not being afraid of fire, not being afraid of endings, not being afraid of the world falling apart, of pain, of walking away, of reconciling, of finding new family and new love even as you mourn and miss what you lost.

It says, "Beautiful, wonderful things end, but afterwards, you can go home."

I'm going crazy.

[kathylovesstuff]

THE BOY AND THE HERON ‘君たちはどう生きるか’ dir. Hayao Miyazaki

[kathylovesstuff]

i think miyazaki fake retires every time not as a gimmick but to make sure joe hisaishi goes flat out balls to the wall this is my last shot and i will eat and leave no crumbs. and you know what? he always does, every time

[kathylovesstuff]

Obsessed how in Ghibli films, you can never go back to the magical world you've visited - the gate closes, the era ends and we will never be who we once were during the adventure! And that's life, it just goes on

And in this one too, Mahito leaves the tower and it crumbles behind him, but he can still remember? In this one, he carries the memento with him, not unlike Chihiro and her charmed hair-tie, but it's framed in this kind way - 'You're not supposed to remember, and you must forget, but you can carry it with you for a while yet' and this gentleness absolutely fucking ruins me.

[kathylovesstuff]

Obsessed how in Ghibli films, you can never go back to the magical world you've visited - the gate closes, the era ends and we will never be who we once were during the adventure! And that's life, it just goes on

And in this one too, Mahito leaves the tower and it crumbles behind him, but he can still remember? In this one, he carries the memento with him, not unlike Chihiro and her charmed hair-tie, but it's framed in this kind way - 'You're not supposed to remember, and you must forget, but you can carry it with you for a while yet' and this gentleness absolutely fucking ruins me.

[kathylovesstuff]

Mostly spoiler free summary of my viewing experience

[kathylovesstuff]

every ghibli movie is better with some guys in it

[kathylovesstuff]