unusual and surprising

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2007)

If you are not Japanese, definitely see this movie with the Japanese soundtrack and subtitles, not dubbed. The sound will then go with the gestures and facial expressions. The story is a great introduction to themes in Japanese culture. The words "spirits" and "gods" which are used interchangeably in the movie are translations of "kami" (you can see the term in the title in Japanese), which is a Shinto concept of a spirit being, not god as thought of by Jews, Christians, and Muslims (who might be offended by a "stink god") . Many things in nature are filled with this kind of spiritual power--rivers, winds, rocks, etc. (For example, kamikaze means "divine wind" and it referred originally to the two great typhoons that destroyed the Mongol fleets when they tried to invade Japan in the 1200s). As other reviewers have pointed out, the story is about Chihiro's transformation from a whiny brat to a self-reliant, courteous, compassionate and aware individual. The viewer may see a resemblance to Memoirs of a Geisha in the heroine's maturation from a frightened little girl traumatically separated from her parents to a servant who must start at the bottom of the hierarchy and finally to a self-reliant and successful person. Another theme that is similar is the character of the greedy, powerful, witch-like owner of the establishment. Yubaba is contrasted to Zeniba; the former's home is "in bad taste" with a lot of imported ornate stuff (from chinoiserie to western-style furnishings) whereas Zeniba's cottage is very wabi-sabi (rustic-archaic) and simple, hearkening back to traditional Japanese design. Another thing I liked about the movie was its complete acceptance of a girl-protagonist (whereas girls are often treated as "second-best" in American movies). Japanese gender hierarchy and women's "submissiveness" are not as simple as some folks think. In early Japanese history, women were very powerful and autonomous figures--politically powerful, writers, etc. Originally the society was matrilocal and women had considerable say in their personal lives. The emperor is the descendant of the sun-goddess. Women's status declined in the samurai period and the Meiji Restoration, but there are still traces of their originally higher status and importance. So Spirited Away is not only fun entertainment but also a little introduction to themes and values of Japanese culture.