The Illusion of Escaping. A Film study of Junichi Sato “A Whisker…
By: Dwiky Juniarta
Tags: Self Growth, Relationships, Anime, Movies, Film

What really is the face mask?

A Whisker Away (2020)

The film introduced a magical experience where humans can live a new reality through a physical transformation. This mask is offered mysteriously by a mask seller to anyone who wishes to run away from their problem. This aspect of the film creates a new room of understanding for the viewers to find a new perception of reality because magical realism grounds an alternative point of view of how one deals with their daily struggles.

Why is this information important to understand? Fundamentally, magical realism are tools writers/directors use to provide a new perspective in coping up with daily struggles/issues. By introducing the escapist element to the audience, it allows them to see that escaping is just another way-end.

There are two characters that convey Sato’s perception of escaping. They are Miyo and Kinako.

Growing up being contested as a trophy for her parents, Miyo experiences the discomfort of accepting her reality. The void she feels by not being understood by her parents has become her driving force to achieve something greater than her life. For her, to be close to Hinode physically and emotionally, are all that matter. He is responsible for her transformation into a cat as she is not brave enough to do it in her human form.

However, Miyo goes ahead of herself as she confesses her true feeling to Hinode, from the knowledge she gained as a cat. Hinode’s animosity from her action has overturned her current state of reality as she realizes that it was never her that Hinode adore, but her cat form. She realizes that giving up on her human form is only distancing herself from her true goal.

On the other side, Miyo’s full cat transformation brings Kinako an advantage as she is able to fulfill her desire to stay with Kaoru longer. She disguises herself into Miyo to achieve a longer lifespan. However, not long after her disguise, Kinako realizes that she’s just furthering herself from her goal, as she expresses her true feeling. Kinako’s dull reaction to her confession realizes her that it was her cat form that she fond of the most, not Miyo.

Both Miyo and Kinako perform two different actions for one similar reason, which is the thought of being mentally and physically close to the person they care about. Though transforming might give them the option to be physically close, some problems required emotional presence. This emotional presence is impossible to fake as it is what makes humans who they really are. We began to finally understand that, transforming into someone we thought would be the best for the person we are trying to impress, is not going to solve the problem.

This escapist element of magical realism creates an illusion of comfort. This illusion of comfort also happens in real life as humans put on a mask everyday everywhere. Miyo, for instance, has to “put on a certain face” to live peacefully with her stepmom. Most of the time we convince ourselves of a certain face to display throughout the day, like for example, thinking we are ok and happy when we are not.

The film narrates to us that a mask is just a mask. It is not more than an accessory for its inability to fully attached to our skin. No matter how hard humans try to convince themself they are not the same person anymore, identity has grass-rooted their memory and has packed its emotional baggage. Because of its inevitability, Miyo and Kinako regretted their decision and willing to fight against all odds to get back to their original form.