Sophie, are we a family?

Rating: Null/10 (16 January 2014)

Hayao Miyazaki's "Howl's Moving Castle" revolves around Sophie, an insecure young woman who is transformed into an old lady by a spiteful witch. An outcast before her transformation, Sophie takes to her new body like a fish to water; she leaves her bustling town for the anonymity of life in the mountains. Here she gets a job working for Howl, a powerful wizard.
As is typical of Miyazaki, "Castle" is filled with loving details, picturesque towns, interesting machines, beautiful landscapes and that fusion of steam-punk and retro-art which Miyazaki so adores. More interesting is the way all of Miyazaki's major characters go through a physical metamorphosis. Sophie's outward appearance, for example, seems to fluctuate based on self-esteem and mood. Howl is similarly preoccupied with "how he looks", using potions and magic to create the illusion of a handsome wizard.
These themes dovetail into the film's thoughts of war and conflict. Here Howl's gradually tainted by partaking in a war between two rival cultures. The more he fights, the more his body becomes black and monstrous. He also literally "loses his heart". For Miyazaki, deeds and actions affect beauty as strongly as private perceptions. You are what you do.
"Howl's Moving Castle" was based on a novel by British author Diana Wynee Jones. Miyazaki has altered Jones' tale slightly, however, and included vast air wars which he says were designed to evoke the Western invasion of Iraq. "The film was profoundly impacted by the war in Iraq," Miyazaki would later reveal. "The reason I didn't attend the Academy Awards was because I didn't want to visit a country that was bombing Iraq."
In this regard, the film moves slowly from peace to chaos. When propaganda fliers fall from the sky (perhaps echoing the 2002 dropping of 500,000 pamphlets on Iraq by US airships), Miyazaki's landscapes begin their slow slide toward smoke and flame. For Miyazaki, peace with oneself forestalls conflict, but more importantly, those who pretend to oppose "evil" often partake in the very "evils" they denounce. By the film's climax, all sides are responsible, even Howl, who spends his days and nights catching the bombs which threaten to fall on innocent civilians. When he retaliates against those who drop them, his hands become overrun with black feathers; he begins to turn into the very monsters he decries.
"Which is who?" Sophia asks, looking up as armadas swirl. "What difference does it make?" comes the reply. Throughout the film, divisions between "us" and "them" seem irrelevant. There can be no "good" and "bad", no "love" and "hate" when the sheer act of partaking in violence makes everyone indistinguishable. Such a stance is reductive and at times false - one can oppose evil and violence, even with violence, and not be "evil" - but nevertheless offers an interesting contrast when we consider how wars are actually mis-sold ("We're under attack because we love freedom, and our enemy hates freedom. They hate and we love. We differ from our enemy because we love. Our enemy hates." - George Bush).
Whilst "Howls" first three acts are strong, its final act overwhelms its audience with confusing subplots which make little sense upon first viewing. Only with re-watches do Miyazaki's intentions become clear. Indeed, the film becomes more tragic with familiarity. Howl, for example, is revealed to have "caught falling stars" as a child, saving them from impact and so death. One of these "falling stars" he "gives his heart to" in order to "save its life". As Howl grows up, this desire to "catch falling stars" stays with him; like the infamous dream in The Catcher in the Rye, Howl's preoccupied with preserving life.
The "castle" of Miyazaki's title refers to Howl's home, a bulbous walking machine which epitomises Howl's rootlessness. As the film progresses, this castle falls apart, until it is reborn with wings. Howl and Sophie then fly off into the horizon, recalling an early, charming scene in which he quite literally sweeps the girl off her feet. The film climaxes with conventional light-shows of the kind you don't usually associate with Miyazaki. Howl's also designed to resemble traditional Manga heroes (sharp hair, big eyes, triangular jaw), lending some of the film's visuals a familiar feel. Still, the film's early moments, aided by composer Joe Hisaishi, are as good as Miyazaki at his best.
8/10 – Multiple viewings required.