When Marnie Was There

“When Marnie Was There,” released in 2014, the last film before Studio Ghibli announced they were going on a short hiatus, the source of amazement for the past 30 years. However, it’s not one of the best of Ghibli movies, but it’s still really fantastic…and delightfully sad.

Charlie Jane Andres admitted in his review, “This ghost story about a strange friendship between two young girls is trippy and intense. And it made me cry towards the end, without being too manipulative or cloying.”

“When Marnie Was There” is based on a 1967 novel of the same name by Joan G. Robinson, and it’s really faithful to the novel’s plot. Anna Sasaki (Hailee Steinfeld) is an orphan who’s being raised by her foster parents (Geena Davis and Eric Bauza). She’s isolated and depressed after the passing of her mother and grandmother, and doesn’t really have any friends at school. Plus, she also has asthma.

Anna’s foster mother, Yoriko decides to send her to the seaside, thinking the outdoors will help her asthma and also give her a new place to explore. She goes to live with Yoriko’s relatives, the Oiwas, voiced by John C. Reilly and Grey Griffin, who don’t really care when Anna has her moments or disappears for a few hours. Anna looks like she is going to sink deeper in depression and isolation, until she meets a mysterious blonde girl named Marnie, voiced by the cute Kiernan Shipka (who you might remember as Sally Drapper from “Mad Men” and the voice of Jinora from “The Legend of Korra”), and finally makes a friend.

Obviously, Marnie isn’t a typical girl, and the mystery of just who Marnie is and what happened to her takes up a lot of the film. It’s predictable from early on that there’s something strange about the Marsh house where Marnie lives: sometimes there are extravagant parties going on there, with people in fashion-like clothes, and sometimes it looks like it has been empty for many years. Someone who really pays attention to these details will solve the puzzle pretty fast.

Andres mentioned, “There’s a dreamlike quality to a lot of the sequences between Anna and Marnie, with the passage of time depicted in a disjointed fashion that’s kind of jolting.” Often their meetings end with Anna seeing she’s asleep, either at home in bed or out somewhere in the fields. Andres noted, “Meanwhile, Studio Ghibli’s trademark gorgeous landscapes and beautiful creatures (whose motion feels well observed and lively) are joined to an atmosphere that includes lots of mist and unpredictable water.” Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who previously directed “The Secret World of Arietty” and worked on several other Ghibli films, creates a beautiful visual palette.

What makes this film so amazing is the careful tactic of showing Anna’s emotional part, seeing her telling Marnie all of her secrets. Also, the film carefully shows how Anna’s friendship with Marnie changes her relationship with her foster family – it’s not as simple as Anna being broken between Marnie and the other people in her life, but it’s also not as easy as Anna learning to tell Marnie everything after being friends with her. The movie’s emotional and psychological density is its great awe-inspiring success.

Andres ended his review by saying, “Like I said, When Marnie Was There isn’t up to the incredibly high standard of the best Ghibli films — but it’s still beautiful and sweet, and a powerful film about a girl discovering who she really is.” Vanessa Williams and Ava Acres voice two other people Anna becomes friends with later on.

I had never heard of this film before my brother had researched the other Studio Ghibli films that we had never seen, like “Only Yesterday,” “My Neighbors the Yamadas” and “Pom Poko.” I knew of “Pom Poko” because Doug Walker did a “By Popular Demand” review of it when he did his Disneycember “Ghibli” Month.

All of that aside, this one is an absolute must for those who are Ghibli fans. You will fall in love with this movie, especially with how well done it keeps you in suspense of who Marnie is until the end. When you find out, you’re like, “Holy cow, I didn’t see that one coming.” However, if you called it before, you must have been really good at noting these things before anyone else. Still, this is a great “slice-of-life” film that everyone should check out. I probably would say this is another one of my favorite “Studio Ghibli” films. Don’t read this review, just watch the film to see it for yourself. Be forewarned: this movie really showcases a great friendship and will tug at your heartstrings when you're watching it. If you cry while watching this, I won't be surprised. I don't cry while watching movies, but I did feel the emotional impact that this movie might have left behind with the audience.

Well everyone that ends “Studio Ghibli Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed this month as much as I did reviewing these films. Like how I stated last year with “Pixar,” I don’t think any “Studio Ghibli” films are bad that are either not worth watching or ones that I hate. I can understand if people hate certain “Pixar” movies, but I don’t think anyone would hate “Studio Ghibli” films. Definitely see them, I highly recommend them. I'm also looking forward to the next film they release, which I think will be next year.

Thanks for joining in on all my reviews this year. I hope everyone liked my reviews, as this year is the year that I did the most reviews. Now, I’m going to take a week off and will start going back to my usual Friday reviews next month. Hope everyone has a great end to 2017, I’ll see everyone next year.