Storytelling done right

Rating: 9/10 (17 August 2018)

There's always something so disarming about Ghibli movies. I put it down to the natural pace of storytelling. The studio is uncompromising in its decision to never spell things out for the audience too much. The pride of Seita, for example, and the tragedy in his refusal to return to his Aunt, leading to the demise of Satsuko. There's no big fanfare surrounding this, just a simple narrative achieved through straightforward dialogue and action. It doesn't sugarcoat Seita's decision, and therefore does not justify it. Like many pieces of art, there is no conscious design upon the audience, and that allows one to sympathise with all characters involved. Themes (such as war) are fully three-dimensional: the honour, the spectacle, and the crushing despair following Japan's unconditional surrender are all given equal weighting.
A glorious film, all in all.