Notes from The Ghibli Retrospective Part 1: Ocean Waves

Studio Ghibli's Ocean Waves (1993)

Set in a small town outside of Kyoto(I think, it was hard to keep up with the Japanese geography, which features heavily in the film's plot), Tomomi Mochizuki's Ocean Waves ("Umi ga kikoeru")  follows the developing relationship between two high school friends, Taku and Yatuka, and a mischevious and beautiful newcomer from Toyko, Rikako. Their story is set at a private high school in a small seaside town. The rhythm of adolescent life there really comes alive in the film: the slowness, the cloistered feeling, the closeness and at-times oppressiveness of going to a small school in a small town. All of these feelings are encased by the narrative device of Taku's reminiscing. The film begins and ends with him heading home for a high school reunion one year after leaving for college. This bookending serves well as an means to enhance the springtime-of-youth vibe that Waves seems to go for.

Saeko Himuro's story manages to avoid cliches or the tendancy of teen stories (at least western ones) to devolve into unrealistic adventures. Because we care about the characters, there is no need to send them to the moon or to have them crash a car. Fitting for a movie about high school, small events becomes big ones in the lives of the young protaganists. Although there is some action, the story doesn't really go anywhere. An illicit trip to Tokyo between Taku and Rikako doesn't result in sex or even a little smooching- just Taku sleeping in the bathtub of the hotel and Rikako having a rum and Coke. The films unfolds more through the characters and their relationships with each other than through external events, which figure here mostly to allow the teenagers to learn more about each other.

The retrospective at IFC was my first chance to see Ocean Waves and I was pleasently surprised. Some of the lesser-known Ghibli films, The Cat Returns for example, can seem childish and derivative, overdoing the melodrama that all of the studio's films contain on some level. Ocean Waves mostly avoids this trap through underplayed action, slow pacing, and a character-driven script. On first viewing, I enjoyed it more than the more promoted, more popular, Miyazaki-directed Ponyo. If you get a chance to see it (and I didn't in the 18 years since it's release), it's definitely worth a look.

*image from omohide.com

Studio Ghibli Retrospective In New York

For anyone with an interest, passion, or obsession with Studio Ghibli, GKids is holding a retrospective at the Independent Film Center in New York Dec 16 - Jan 12. Whether you've seen these films before or not, if you're in the area and have a chance, getting to check out some of the most visually impressive and thematically deep animated films of all time in 35mm on a big screen will surely be an excellent experience. Personally, the only Ghibli film I've seen on anything larger than a modest living room TV is Howl's Moving Castle. In addition to films that are easy to come by in the states on DVD, there will be screenings of Only Yesterday and The Ocean Waves. The full title list hasn't been announced, but I'm also keeping my fingers crossed for an advance screening of the upcoming The Secret World of Arrietty, set to be released Feb 17 by Disney in the US. To sweeten the deal even more, there will be both Japanese and English screenings. No word yet as to whether this will be for ALL films or only select screenings. Overall, this is great news to help tide over NYC-based Ghibli fans until the release of Ni No Kuni sometime in 2012.

If you're new to Ghibli, my recommendations are as follows:

1. Princess Mononoke

A fantastic piece of eco-criticism with unusually complex and morally ambiguous characters set during a fictional iron-age. IMO the best animated film ever.

2. My Neighbor Totoro

This one is really a classic. Totoro tells the story of two young girls move to the countryside with their father after their mother falls ill, only to discover that there is a wondrous world hidden there. Story isn't really the right word here. This film is more about experiencing a place and a mindset than it is plot-driven. Truly magical.

3. Grave of the Fireflies

Directed by Isao Takahata, Grave takes a more serious tone than most of Miyazaki's films. Set in WWII-era Japan, this tearjerking, heartstring-tugging film follows a boy and his young sister during and after an allied bombing campaign.

4. Porco Rosso

This one doesn't get as much attention, but it's one of my favorites. It's Miyazaki doing his best take on Hemingway, with some magical realism and fighter planes thrown in for good measure.

5. Spirited Away

By now, every one and their mother has seen or heard about this visual stunner. Still the only foreign film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Film.  If you haven't seen it, go do it.