Spirited Away
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
I saw Prince Mononoke and while appreciating its technical skill I got restless. So I went to Spirited Away prepared, even to leave. Not so. It’s the perfect Christmas Treat, for everyone. Though a little too long it is always entertaining.
The opening credits appear on a delightfully blossoming screen which becomes the detail of a bunch of flowers clutched tightly to the chest of a little girl. The protagonist, Chihiro, is reluctantly leaving behind the familiar to move to a new home with her Mum and Dad. A wrong turn is taken and they enter a magical wonderland of spirits, ghouls, ghosts, other worldly animals and one big Mama.
It’s a beautiful East meets West spectacle of imagery, mythology and architecture. It includes many Western fantasies and introduces us to the spirit world of the East. I found the formlessness of the ghosts and ghouls fascinating and never in my wildest imaginings had I considered the ‘spirit’ of a radish. ‘Alice’, ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ and even the ‘yellow brick road’ is there. At one point delightfully, as Dad puts his foot down on the ‘four wheel’.
Oblivious to the dangers that Chihiro senses, her parents are soon transformed into pigs. With courage and sometimes timorous, but always true, heart Chihiro makes the heroic journey she must make and she is a most honourable and likable heroine.
‘Work’ is among the many tasks she must accomplish. That was a reality check for me. Work is her salvation enabling her to remain independent of ‘wrong’.
Particularly poignant for me was an early scene in which Chihiro is beseeched to eat something which will make her better. It is the point at which Chihiro has become totally overwhelmed by her most uncommon experience. As I was waiting and expecting her to ‘be better’ huge tears welled up in her eyes and she wept.
Lou Crow
