Many viewers don't experience the desired catharsis in the ending.
The story of the movie does not follow the standard screenwriting rules.
The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka) is definitely one of the biggest events in the anime industry in 2023. Many critics and viewers consider this film to be the culmination of Hayao Miyazaki's work over the past few decades.
However, not all fans of the director’s work liked his new project. It seems that the haters of the movie just didn't get it. Let's try to find out why The Boy and the Heron will (probably) only improve over the years and achieve classic status.
Unexpected disappointment
The story centers on a 12-year-old boy, Mahito, who moves to the countryside with his father and stepmother after the tragic death of his mother. The action takes place during World War II. In the village, a grey heron harasses the boy and tells him that his mother is alive. Thus begins a strange adventure into the other world.
Disappointed audiences criticized the film for its slow pacing. There are not many exciting events, and the characters' motivations (Mahito in particular), as well as their internal development, remain unclear until the end. Because of this, it is difficult to empathize with the characters, and many viewers don't experience the desired catharsis in the ending.
The director was associated with fascinating fairy tales, but this time the plot is rather frustrating. Miyazaki's new movie has left fans confused. What was his point?
Symbolic depth
This is not a flaw, however, but rather a feature of The Boy and the Heron. Miyazaki deliberately created the narrative in the logic of a dream. While working on the movie, he first started with the images that appeared in his head, and later came up with a plot based on them.
The story of the movie is quite impressionistic, i.e. it does not follow the standard rules of screenwriting. Although for many fans the events become obscure in terms of meaning, they acquire a serious symbolic depth. This means that the viewer has a wide range of interpretations. The movie encourages the freedom to understand the plot.
In other words, over time, particularly attentive viewers will find more hidden meanings in the movie. This is already happening. Consider the significant image of a heron, which symbolizes Mahito's inner trauma and guilt over his mother's death. From this perspective, Mahito's story appears as an allegorical elaboration of trauma.
Nevertheless, The Boy and the Heron is a very complex work. It is not surprising that it remains mysterious to many fans after one viewing. This film requires multiple times watching. There is no doubt that even disappointed viewers will rediscover it over time. The Boy and the Heron is certainly one of Hayao Miyazaki's best anime.
Many viewers don't experience the desired catharsis in the ending.
The story of the movie does not follow the standard screenwriting rules.
The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka) is definitely one of the biggest events in the anime industry in 2023. Many critics and viewers consider this film to be the culmination of Hayao Miyazaki's work over the past few decades.
However, not all fans of the director’s work liked his new project. It seems that the haters of the movie just didn't get it. Let's try to find out why The Boy and the Heron will (probably) only improve over the years and achieve classic status.
Unexpected disappointment
The story centers on a 12-year-old boy, Mahito, who moves to the countryside with his father and stepmother after the tragic death of his mother. The action takes place during World War II. In the village, a grey heron harasses the boy and tells him that his mother is alive. Thus begins a strange adventure into the other world.
Disappointed audiences criticized the film for its slow pacing. There are not many exciting events, and the characters' motivations (Mahito in particular), as well as their internal development, remain unclear until the end. Because of this, it is difficult to empathize with the characters, and many viewers don't experience the desired catharsis in the ending.
The director was associated with fascinating fairy tales, but this time the plot is rather frustrating. Miyazaki's new movie has left fans confused. What was his point?
Symbolic depth
This is not a flaw, however, but rather a feature of The Boy and the Heron. Miyazaki deliberately created the narrative in the logic of a dream. While working on the movie, he first started with the images that appeared in his head, and later came up with a plot based on them.
The story of the movie is quite impressionistic, i.e. it does not follow the standard rules of screenwriting. Although for many fans the events become obscure in terms of meaning, they acquire a serious symbolic depth. This means that the viewer has a wide range of interpretations. The movie encourages the freedom to understand the plot.
In other words, over time, particularly attentive viewers will find more hidden meanings in the movie. This is already happening. Consider the significant image of a heron, which symbolizes Mahito's inner trauma and guilt over his mother's death. From this perspective, Mahito's story appears as an allegorical elaboration of trauma.
Nevertheless, The Boy and the Heron is a very complex work. It is not surprising that it remains mysterious to many fans after one viewing. This film requires multiple times watching. There is no doubt that even disappointed viewers will rediscover it over time. The Boy and the Heron is certainly one of Hayao Miyazaki's best anime.
