Red Heron

I guess The Boy and the Heron (2023) is the last of Miyazaki's final films. It was an odd one.

It starts with the firebombing of Tokyo during WWII. Our young protagonist, Mahito, finds that the hospital his mother is in is on fire. He rushes out in his pajamas, but of course, can't save her.

Soon after, his father moves out to the family estate in the country, and marries his previous wife's sister. Mahito's reaction to all this is a stoically angry. He doesn't take to his new aunt/mother and there's a heron on the property who keeps annoying him - although it does lead him to an overgrown, forbidden tower on the property. 

The heron gets to be more and more of a nuisance, even after Mahito shoots an arrow through its beak. Finally, it lures him to the tour, where Mahito is condemned to sink through the ground to a fantastic realm. 

There he meets up with a young fisherwoman, who takes him in. They sell fish to unborn souls, get attacked by pelicans, meet another woman who can control fire, and fight flocks of parakeets. He also discovers that the heron contains a malevolent little man with a big raspberry nose. 

That's about all the story I'm going to go through. The guy inside the heron is a fine example of where this movie loses me - maybe not loses, but confuses. What is up with that? Are herons often little evil guys in disguise? What made this one decide to pick on Mahito? What's up with the tower? Why is one of the old maids a young girl in the realm? I guess I get the part about his mother. But in general, the theme, the unity of the story escapes me. Maybe it's just a silly story.

But the fact that the real world story is so specific and personal makes that unlikely. Mahito's father is the head of an aircraft firm, building planes for Japan's war - like Miyazakis father. Miyasaki also lost his mother at an early age. 

Well, it still has the beautiful Studio Ghibli look. Mahito was interesting as a protagonist. For most of it, he has a serious, stubborn and determined look, and acts sullen and withdrawn. It makes him a little hard to get to know. But in the fantastic realm, he gets to use his determination more actively, and we warm up to him. 

Anyway, I guess we won't be seeing any more of these. I'm still a few films behind (don't want to see The Wind Rises, because War), so I can't feel too bad yet. Besides, Miyazaki-san is still alive, and he has unretired before.