Spoilers throughout
Studio Ghibli is one of the greatest studios to exist in film history. No other studio has blended art and commerce more than successfully together to create unique and unforgettable works that have touched generations of people. Thanks to Disney, the films are now widely available in the West outside of their native Japan and finding new generations to enrapture and inspire. Spirited Away. Howl’s Moving Castle. Grave of the Fireflies. My Neighbour Totoro. Princess Mononoke. Hallmarks of animation. So upon the announcement that Hayao Miyazaki would retire after The Wind Rises, the release of Isao Takahata’s presumed swan song The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and the subsequent retirement of long time Ghibli producer Toshio Suzaki many questioned the studio’s future. It turned to the younger generation to be torch bearers. While Arrietty and From Up On Poppy Hill are good films, they still have the hand of Miyazaki who either helped to storyboard or contribute to the script. Could Ghibli break away from its long time master? Even hiring his son Goro Miyazaki as a director seemed to link the studio back to its past. Ghibli itself could not answer this and its film division it currently closed while the current owners work out where to go next. This leaves When Marnie Was There in an odd position. It is the work of a young filmmaker, has no links to Miyazaki (that I know of) and retrospectively serves as (for now) the swan song to the studio. Can the film work under this great weight of expectation?
When Marnie Was There is the second film from Ghibli stalwart Hiroyasa Yonebayashi (his first film, Arrietty, is a very inventive take on The Borrowers and worth watching) and is based on a book of the same name by Joan G. Robinson. The novel is set in Norfolk, England and the film transposes this to a remote seaside town in Japan’s northern island Hokkaido. Both settings offer remote locations so the re-transposition feel appropriate. Anna is a depressed child suffering from anxiety issues which leads to asthma attacks. Her foster mum suggests she takes some time away to stay with some of her relatives in the country. Maybe the air will do her some good? Anna at first struggles to fit in but soon discovers a seemingly abandoned mansion holding many secrets. Here she befriends the mysterious Marnie, a blonde-haired almost ethereal girl, and the pair soon being to share an intense relationship as they get to known each other. Anna soon discovers that there is a great mystery surrounding the girl…
Marnie works as part as a re-transposition of the novel as it retains that early 20th century (almost, but not quite Victorian sensibility) children’s story aesthetic (e.g. The Secret Garden) – a mystery known only to the children, secrets returning from the past to haunt the present, absent parents - it's almost gothic in a way. However couple this with a Japanese setting and you get a very unique film which harks back to the days of this kind of story telling in children’s literature. Yonebayashi creates a clear geography to this small town and we soon to get to know its residents along with Anna. A visual highlight is the festival in the village, complete with traditional yukatas, and the shifting imagery of the mansion at the centre of the story. As always with Ghibli, the animation is stunning and recalls a return to a more realistic style a la Only Yesterday (a 1991 classic only recently released in part the US – Europe has been enjoining this treat for a while now). Ghibli has this amazing ability to bring a sense of weight to its animation, whilst also feeling justified in the fact that it is animation. It is understated in Marnie and maintains a quiet meditative presence. This is particular highlighted in the opening when Anna suffers from an asthma attack and the dance the pair share later in the film.
Marnie essentially becomes Anna’s cypher to work through her mental unrest, whether it's social anxiety (Anna at Marnie’s parents’ party) or dealing with truths about the nature of her foster care. Marnie is a kind figure for Anna to discuss these issues. However Marnie herself is hiding something – a history of neglect and child abuse. The two help each other to bury these ghosts from the past. Anna herself is a great character. Ghibli is one of the few out rightly feminist studios, giving their female characters greater agency than any other studio, and Marnie is no different with its predominantly female cast. Anna feels like a real person, dealing with real issues. We all know people like Anna or may have even dealt with these issues ourselves and this gives a great sense of weight to the character. I would argue that this is one of Ghibli’s most successful main characters, as her reactions and relationships are constantly shifting depending on the situation (something writers struggle with even with male characters). She admits she has problems and often lashes out and doesn't know how to control her emotions. The rest of the cast function well but there mostly to serve Anna’s story. Though I do like Anna’s foster mother, echoing sentiments that must be running through parents taking care of foster children. Again it feels real and helps to ground the film. As we discover that Marnie is a figment of Anna’s imagination, it feels appropriate – Anna needs Marnie to work through this difficult part of her life. These moments are some of the film’s strongest visually and allows the filmmakers to explore different, yet subtle, artistic styles. The film moves a steady pace and allows you to become enraptured in Anna’s world. The story-telling also works a treat, as you have dual storylines, one concerning Anna and the root of her depression and the other about the truth behind Marnie, which leads into one the unsatisfying part of the film, in my opinion. Is she just a figment of Anna's imagination or is there something more?
I have one aspect, alluded to above, that disappointed me and it is a fairly big part. To discuss this I will be raising spoilers. If you do not want the film spoiled skip this paragraph. The growing relationship between Anna and Marnie would seem to imply a queer reading of the film. Anna blushes when Marnie complements her art, the two share a moonlit boat voyage on a lake and partake in an awkward dance at a party. All the signposts of a blooming romance. Plus the two share secrets together (I was reminded of a similar scene in Buffy’s fourth season, where Willow and Tara accept their feelings towards each other and the secret they currently share) and promise to support and love each other. As an excellent article on the subject points out (https://babydykediaries.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/queer-childhood-in-when-marnie-was-there-omoide-no-marnie/), Anna can only meet Marnie at certain times far from the adult world at an abandoned mansion separated by a lake – essentially outside of society. Marnie teaches Anna how to row a boat and serves as a guide – Anna comes out on the other side to be with Marnie, implying transformation (serious props to the writer of the article – before the end I was picking up on its LGBTQ themes and wanted to see if others had picked up on it). It is hard to read their relationship as anything but queer. The camera work also implies Laura Mulvey’s much discussed “male stare”, as we get shots from Anna’s P.O.V. looking at Marnie, starting from her shoes and working her way up. Reading about queer experiences implies that for many Marnie is similar to the way others have come out. So the twist that Marnie is actually Anna’s grandmother who raised her after her parents died before going into foster care after her subsequent death comes as a surprise and disappointment to me – is this a case of queer baiting? The film signposts these queer images only to reestablish a hetero-normative stance in the final 20 minutes. We are now meant to get from the film is a love between family over time, which doesn't sit right with me and comes across as a hastily written conclusion (a bit like the rushed ending of Psycho). Anna is essentially seeing vision of the grandma in the past, which at first the films suggests is just a figment of her imagination is actually akin to meeting her across time (though it is done a much more cerebral and natural way then how I described it). It doesn't undermine the narrative arc of the film, as this is about Anna working through personal issues - but then again why have such strong queer imagery? This seems so baffling to me that it did leave a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, as I loved 85% of the film. Different audiences are bound to read this in different ways and this is how I felt whilst watching the film. The film essentially concludes that Anna needed Marnie to move onto the next stage of her life. Anyway see the film and make up your own mind!
Despite this disappointing twist there is still plenty to recommend about the film, even if it does trip up in its last 20 minutes. After all, how many other animated films can you name where a character really works through an affliction such as anxiety? The pace moves steadily and is in no rush to reach its conclusions. Ultimately, Marnie succeeds as a swan song to Studio Ghibli, as it shows there really is no set formula that these films can follow (a la Disney). Each one is a unique experience, just as Anna’s summer was to her. I just find it a shame that the studio for now looks it have closed its doors on its wonderful world of imagination…
Long verdict: While there is a somewhat confused message at the heart of the film, When Marnie Was There is an achingly beautiful film about the healing power of friendship. Anna is one of Studio Ghibili’s most believable heroines dealing with all too real personal issues. As a swan song, Marnie doesn't hit the heights of the studio’s giants but as acts as a signpost for all the great things Ghibli can do.
Rating: 8/10
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