Hayao Miyazaki's new film: Not like a movie, just a farewell letter
I am used to Hayao Miyazaki always saying that he is retiring, so I did not initially appreciate the newly released films as his final film. However, when I left the theater, a sudden thought made me realize that he might really be saying goodbye to us this time.
The movie itself is full of imagination and power, but it fails to clearly present the story. The audience is not obliged to over-interpret the director because of his reputation. A realistic evaluation may be the real respect for the creator.
Viewers were confused:
Hayao Miyazaki seems to want to express too much, and the entire movie is full of details from his personal feelings and past works. For example, the heron and Yubaba in "Spirited Away", the transformation door and people melting into jelly in "Howl's Moving Castle", and the blah blah blah and tree elves in "Princess Mononoke". The audience came to the theater with high expectations, but saw a mixed movie with Ghibli elements. It's like an old man sitting by the window, flipping through a photo album and counting the glory of his life, but reluctant to close it.
A farewell letter:
To many, Hayao Miyazaki is a genial old man who creates a world in his films, but in real life, he is more like a rigorous craftsman. Now, he seems to know that he doesn't have much time left. In the movie, when the old man hands the geometric module to the real boy, it may also symbolize Hayao Miyazaki trying to let go behind the screen - the small world he has carefully managed throughout his life. He really wanted someone to take over and move on.
For young people, and that younger self:
We may not be able to change our destiny, but we can choose how we deal with it. In the movie, the real boy experienced the unbearable burden of his mother's sudden death, changing schools, and accepting a new mother again. He appears to be easy-going on the outside, but on the inside he resorts to self-mutilation to escape the pain. It was not until he went through all kinds of things that he came to terms with himself and the people and things he originally considered to be the opposite. I guess Hayao Miyazaki may have been a stubborn person when he was young, and Shoumato is a reflection of himself to some extent. He may hope that young people understand that although we cannot escape the shackles of fate and time, if we experience and reconcile as early as possible, life will have fewer regrets.
The reason why we "live" is because of "truth":
There are many "faceless", "fantasy", but noisy existences in Hayao Miyazaki's works, such as the greedy monsters and the parrots and toads in this movie, but the protagonists are always ordinary and real
His movies tell us every time - although human life may be ordinary and reluctant, sincerity and bravery will make our hearts unique and prevent us from becoming an illusion that may be disillusioned at any time.
Which of Hayao Miyazaki's works is your favorite?