One could rejoice that a never-before-released-stateside Studio Ghibli feature is finally appearing in the U.S., or mourn anew what we’re now missing in the animated feature-film landscape. Because there’s such a unique point of view in Isao Takahata’s story of Taeko Okajima (voiced by
The Force Awakens’ Daisy Ridley), a 27-year-old Tokyo woman whose vacation in the countryside is accompanied by reminiscences about her fifth-grade year (voiced by Alison Fernandez) circa 1966. Those flashback segments are phenomenal, patiently observing childhood anxieties—over parents not supporting their dreams, feelings of inadequacy, the uncertainties of incipient adulthood—in a way that has always been a Ghibli trademark. Those scenes are so good, that it’s often disappointing when the “present-day” segments roll around, addressing the less complex matter of what Taeko wants to do with her life, including assessing her friendship with a kindly young farmer (Dev Patel). It’s visually gorgeous from start to finish, but at its most engrossing when it finds the gravity-defying magic of a girl’s first crush, or the devastation of having your father slap you in the face.
By
Scott Renshaw