Another Miyazaki masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (22 August 2005)

The story begins in a Japan of centuries ago, with the noble young hero Ashitaka being cursed by causing the death of a god-turned-demon. Leaving his lands and community behind, he journeys to where the god originated to find out what caused it to change into a demon. What he discovers are men who, in their single-minded pursuit to obtain more and more iron for their iron-mining town, have made war upon the forest situated nearby and its inhabitants. The film proceeds to show this war and its effects on both forest and townspeople, and how the presence of Ashitaka influences them.
The forest creatures are diverse, most of them part of Japan's native wildlife. Some of them, however, are from Miyazaki's own boundless imagination. There are Gods in the forest, whose purpose is to protect its life and creatures. It is they who battle against the townspeople. And what Gods they are: a mother wolf with two cubs and her human daughter, Mononoke Hime (Princess of the Spirits).
The war grows ever more intense as each side is determined to see the death and destruction of the other. The townsfolk reason that once the forest gods are dead, there will no longer be any resistance to obtaining iron ore. The most important of these gods is the Shishigami Sama (the Deer God) who looks like a deer during the day, but at night... there is no description for what he is or how spectacular he looks then. It's sheer visual splendour.
Having said too much already, I'll remain silent on the title character and further disclosure of the plot. Although the movie takes no sides in the matter, presenting both parties in the war impartially and imbuing both with good and worthy characters, it was impossible for me not to choose a side. The forest got my vote. After all, theirs was a fight to defend their very existence. Besides, where else do you see a Wolf giantess, with two tails, speaking in the tongue of humans in a male voice (in the Japanese version)? And noble boars, willing to fight to the end? Remarkable.
Miyazaki never once compromises his characters. The animal Gods remain animal, growling, with their appetites. Yet they are never unreasonable or dim-witted. The humans are indeed human. They have their own views, which are limited to considering only their lifetimes, their families, communities and livelihood, and so unable to see the bigger picture. However, they are not unreasonable either.
Perhaps the war is inevitable, for as communities grow so does the need for supporting them by diversifying labour. Iron mining in this case was their ticket to a well-provided and secure life. Man, having been part of nature until then, eventually found himself facing it instead, thinking himself to no longer be entirely subordinate to its rules.
The film's finale is exceptional, matching the brilliance of the rest. As the movie progresses, one already realises there will be no easy end. Suffice it to say it is very satisfactory indeed.
Being a Japanese film set in a semi-historic Japan, Shinto beliefs pervade the entire movie (as happens in most of Miyazaki's work, especially Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro). The spiritualism is quite moving, and whether the Gods existed or not, one secretly wishes they did and were still around. Providing some much-needed balance and antagonism in this world where nature has no voice to raise in retaliation and no visible way to fight back as we continue in our quest for progress, ignorant of our place in the world and the bridges we are burning.
For those who appreciated the natural spiritualism of the film, a suggestion (besides the other Ghibli masterpieces) is the exquisite, animated version of Wind in the Willows (UK, 1995, TV). It too features a mystical God, brilliantly rendered by the artists, comparable to the majesty of the Shishigami Sama. It's also filled with dreamy experiences inspired by the beauty and mystery of nature. Alternatively, one can just read the book.