When delivering mail early on in the film, she actively runs away at the sight of other people approaching her. Depression manifests in ways that keep us from enjoying what we once loved, and when we find something that gives us life, we hold on to it tight, for fear of letting go.Īnna is never able to pinpoint what her struggles are or how she feels, why she isolates or draws. With Marnie, she has a friend, but she also grows dependent on her, never wanting to be apart. Anna spends any time away from Marnie by drawing making wonderful scenic sketches that reflect beauty around her, drawing the homes and playgrounds and seas, each brimming with people that are absent from her sketches. Marnie’s extroverted nature provides a wonderful compliment to Anna’s own introverted personality. Marnie has no obligation to, no ulterior motive, she’s just someone equally in need of a friend. But in Marnie, Anna finds a listening ear, someone willing to ease her out of her comfort zone, and just talk with her. In this common ground of perceived familial apathy, the two find each other.Īnother person cannot cure depression, plain and simple. Anna, by contrast, suspects her adopted parents raise her to receive government payments, fearing they only pretend to love her. We learn Marnie is the child of rich parents who rarely see her, living under the care of her harsh grandmother and vile maids. Both young girls just want a friend, adventure, love. The tides prove chaotic and strong, but Anna and Marnie’s first meeting is electric and heartfelt. Her appearance in a window strikes Anna, as she had been told the house was completely empty, and her curiosity compels her to search on her own. This mansion houses Marnie (Kasumi Arimura), a young girl who may or may not be a phantom haunting the house. Even with this comfort, Anna feels awkward around them, becoming far more curious by the abandoned mansion in town. An earnest attempt by the Oiwa’s to have Anna make a friend at a festival is futile, as the girls around her question her ethnic background (we learn Anna is Japanese and white) and Anna erupts, calling one girl a “fat pig.” Even this doesn’t upset the Oiwa’s, as they try to comfort and understand her. They make an environment that’s meant to enrich and empower, giving her independence yet still passionate care. They feed Anna well with their own grown food and encourage her to have her space and enjoy the fresh, clean air. Aunt and Uncle Oiwa are friendly, inviting, and warm. By recommendation by her doctor, Anna is sent on a vacation, staying with her aunt and uncle to rejuvenate.Īnna’s stay with her relatives is a mess from the beginning, not because of a failure to engage but rather a simple lack of understanding on everyone’s part. Even worse, we find out in this opening that she’s only 12 years old and far too young to have a fuller understanding of her mental health. She used to be more expressive.” This, coupled with Anna keeping to herself at school and putting all her focus into a sketch rather than interacting with her peers, makes it clear Anna is likely suffering from depression, without the language or tools to name it. Marnie opens on Anna Sasaki (Sara Takatsuki) suffering from an asthma attack at school, and Anna’s adopted mom notices the mental illness her daughter is struggling with, but can’t place it: “She’s probably a hermit at school… She won’t show her emotions. Marnie captures the joys of youth, sure, but it’s anchored not by celebration but depression. Yet the film also defines itself as a heavier look at youth, a childhood marred by stifled emotions and a struggle to create. Marnie marks itself as a film chasing the ghost of its past, an eerie film to end an era of some of the best animated films of all time, films that define joy and imagination in youth. On the precipice of a hiatus, Ghibli gave us When Marnie Was There (2014), directed by Hiromasa Yonebashi. Miyazaki was particularly concerned in creating complex characters for young women to identify with, especially with Chihiro in Spirited Away (2001) and Setsuki and Mei in My Neighbor Totoro (1988), the struggles and triumphs of childhood through a feminine lens define the most seminal work of the studio. Studio Ghibli films, especially those written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, focus on the innocence and wonder of childhood.
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