The Boy and the Heron Movie Review
- meep5225
- Dec 28, 2023
- 3 min read
Over the holiday weekend, I went to see The Boy and the Heron. After the movie ended, I turned to my partner, “Did any of that make sense to you?” We both agreed that the movie didn’t make a lot of sense and just left us feeling confused.
In short, The Boy and the Heron is about a young boy who moves to the countryside to escape war, but is still haunted by the death of his mother who is personified as a gray heron. Not long after moving into his new house, the main character’s (Mahito Maki) step mother goes missing and he goes to look for her in an old tower off the property. Mahito is then transported into an alternate universe in what seems to be a place where life and death coexist or rather a glimpse into his own subconscious. Mahito passes through a golden gate and begins his journey (either the gates of heaven or hell I don’t know.) There meets a younger version of one of his step mother’s maids (Kiriko), a younger version of his late mother (Himi), his great uncle who is apparently a wizard who controls said universe, and a community of parakeets.
Although entertaining and endearing, I didn’t quite understand the purpose of the parakeets or the Parakeet King. Why do the parakeets chase after Mahito and Himi? Why do they try to kill Mahito and make him into a stew and why do they kidnap Himi and use her to blackmail Mahito’s great uncle? Why does the Parakeet King also try to kill Mahito and usurp his position as ruler of the universe?
Reading a few articles, reviews, and internet forums helped me understand The Boy and the Heron. However, I couldn’t help but wonder why I had to go searching for the answers. I think that a movie should make sense to the audience and they shouldn't have to struggle to understand it.
3 things I learned and how I interpreted them:
Fact 1: The Boy and the Heron is inspired by Miyazaki’s life and the Japanese children’s book “How Do You Live?” by Genzaburo Yoshino (which is featured in the movie as a gift from Mahito’s mother).
My interpretation: The first half of the movie made sense to me and I don’t have any questions or concerns about it.
Fact 2: Studio Ghibli’s co-founder, Isao Takahata, died halfway through production. The movie was originally supposed to be about Mahito’s relationship with his great uncle, but changed to his relationship with the heron instead.
My interpretation: This explains the disconnect between the first and second half of the movie and how they almost seem like two different films.
Fact 3: Studio Ghibli had tried and failed to find a successor for its co-founder and director.
My interpretation: This may be reflected as Mahito’s great uncle trying to find a successor for the alternate universe.
I also interpreted the Japanese title of the movie which is “君たちはどう生きるか” or “How Do you Live?” as a question that Hayao Miyazaki poses to the viewer. How do you live after the death of a loved one? How do you move on from such a traumatic experience? Do you move on or get lost in your own grief? Miyazaki was probably inspired by Genzaburo Yoshino, author of the very book that inspired the name of the movie, who poses the same question at the end of his novel.
I can’t say I liked The Boy and the Heron as much as his other movies, but I enjoyed the experience of going to the movie theaters and the opportunity to escape into Miyazaki’s fantasy world nonetheless.
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