Ghibli and me

So, I actually have a lot to say about what I've been doing, but it will have to wait because I've been dying to write this post for a month now! I'll just say this: I have just launched an Indiegogo campaign to help me finance my one woman show... If you want to donate or share it, I will be much grateful! Just click on the link below:

Fund "Woman Seeks God" Indiegogo Campaign 

Ok, so now let's talk about Ghibli. Very few people know that, but I'm a Ghibli maniac. I don't think their work is as popular in the US as in Europe (but I may be mistaken). In trying to deal with my own life this past month, I've turned to Ghibli and rewatched some old favorites, as well as discovered some new ones. Without doing an in depth analysis, I 've been wanting to share here why I love those movies so much. 

My fascination with Ghibli began when I saw Spirited away. There was so much danger and wonder intertwined in this film, I felt myself reconnecting with my dreams as a child, which were both terrifying and exhilarating. This movie is still my absolute favorite animated movie of all times, and my first go-to in case of despair. One of the themes that come back very often in Ghibli movies is innocence/childhood. I think Myazaki is a big fat nostalgic (or maybe because his childhood was shot because of the war), and there's always a glorification of this blessed time of being carefree and filled with joy by life. That's probably one of the reasons those movies speak to me as well. 

Their aesthetic is extremely unique, especially when it comes to secondary characters, where they draw a lot on Japanese folklore and in general give birth to extremely weird and delightful creatures. The archetype of the Witch/The Old Woman is a prominent one in Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Laputa, and she's always both good and bad (Clarissa Pinkola Estès would love them actually!). 

These movies are very different from western ones. They deal with deeper archetypes. They don't use outside references, nor do they laugh at their own jokes. There's a sense of reality and humanity in even the most fantastic stories, like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. Almost all of the movies deal with loss (real loss, not "a character dies, then reappear magically at the end"). They may be created for children, but they don't pull any punches, instead showing how characters deal with life and its hardships, sometimes in a very painful way (don't watch Grave of the Fireflies if you're having a bad day!). 

There's also no fairy tales here. Female characters don't exist to end up with male protagonists (except in Howl's Castle, that is adapted from a Western book and where the heroine still ends up saving her love interest, and in the more "manga like" movies like Whisper of the Heart and Only Yesterday). Miazaki said it best in one of my favorite quotes: “I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live - if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.”

Another distinctive feature of Ghibli movies (apart from the fact that they are entirely hand drawn, something that has become almost extinct) is that nature and the weather are characters in their own rights. An incalculable number of shots are devoted to the beautiful watercolor landscapes that serve as backdrop for the stories. Water is here in every single film. This brings a wonderful sense of time and stillness that is non existent in modern animation, where everyone tries to pack as many jokes as possible in 90min. Don't get me wrong, I love Pixar as much as the next girl...Ghibli just connects on a deeper lever. And very often, the way human interact with nature is central to the story, like in Princess Mononoke. 

Finally, there are the houses, and the worlds. I'm a huge sucker for houses, gardens and magical dwellings, and every time I just want to teleport to live inside the movies. Below are some of my favorites... 

One of the last movies from Ghibli is The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. It was nominated for an Oscar, and I'm singling it out because it is visually very different. The whole movie is made with ink and watercolor, and it is a true masterpiece, one that will take your breath away with beauty. It also happens to be a story dear to my heart, as it addresses what I'm struggling to share in my one woman show, the pain and joy of being on Earth when coming from a place of light. 

On this I leave you, hoping to have sparked your desire to watch these beautiful films. I'll come back soon with an update of what I'm doing when I'm not watching Totoro! :)