Studio Ghibli never cease to amaze us through its beautifully written stories with the touch of class. It has maintained its reputation by living up to our expectation which are always high because of some best animators like Hayao Mayaazaki.
One of those wonderful Ghibli film is Omoide no Marnie (When Marnie Was There) which is directed and written by Hiromasa Yonebayashi who has also directed The Secret World of Arietty. With the pressure of prevailing high standard of Ghibli, Yonebayashi had to succeed which is why Ghibli is in a league of their own. Yonebayashi constructed a fantasy from a world which is relatable and created a unique space while conveying magical aura of Ghibli. Film’s visuals are enough of preserve that atmosphere which triggered the magic of love in the audience minds.
The film starts with the monologue of a lonesome and isolated child Anna, who depicts her surrounding in her monologue as “In this world, there is an invisible magic circle. There’s an inside and outside”
Being aloof, Anna never express her feelings openly and we get to know her through her thoughts. Her introverted personality is also explained by her mother when a doctor checks on Anna’s health.
The noticeable distinction between Anna’s monologue (her thought) and the direct dialogue depicts how Anna has made herself an outsider by pushing others away. This is how we get familiar with the inside and outside space of Anna. These distinctive speech collectively creates a setting which is a space between magic and reality. The concept of Anna’s space is introduced early in the movie which can be analyzed by the audience not just by the dialogues and monologues but by the beautiful visuals as well
As we get to know about Anna, we realize that it’s not just her introvert personality but an unfortunate loss of her mother made her isolate which logically explains the context of her isolation. Her appearance which includes her name, her blue eyes are some other factor that makes her an outsider
Marnie is the other important character who helps Anna communicate to others. Although visually she is somewhat like Anna and stand out due to her blue eyes, blonde hair and her western appearance. They both are able to relate to each other as Marnie being mostly away from her parents and living with servants makes her feel the same as Anna does.
Marnie introduce Anna to her own world by taking her to her western parties in a mansion, which magically changes and fade with the morning tides. This makes us realize the magical existence of Marnie who is able to pass through different worlds which is also reinforced by the changing mansion and the lightening water which divides the lake in to two sides, dream and reality. Marnie is magical figure who brings Anna back to life and adds her magical colors in Anna’s world
Omoide no Marnie prevails it’s mystery by concealing few things while clarifying movie’s plot and character through dialogues and conveying the connection of the characters and their similarities through visuals. The air of mystery can be felt throughout the movie which keeps many things hidden.
Magic is indicated in the movie and not directly conveyed to the audience which is enough to implicate things happening in the movie. The magical existence of Marnie and her association with the other world can be logically concluded. Marnie’s delicate nature can be felt through her associations with her setting like her diary entries and disappearance.
There is a thin line between the reality and fantasy in this movie and it is balanced through a mysterious atmosphere which keeps magic alive. It’s the association of the characters and it’s implication that depicts the real magic of love without stating any reason directly.
Omoide no Marnie is a great artistic masterpiece of Ghibli. The new director has excellently balanced the fantasy and reality in a normal, contemporary setting. The film is targeted to a wide and diversified audience of all age groups who can enjoy and engaged to the film’s story. It is highly recommended to all Ghibli fans.
