And this week's Friday night movie has been... When Marnie Was There!
Being the Studio Ghibli fan that i am, it is fair to say that I would inevitability come to this movie - largely through the influence of the gf also being a Ghibli fan. Personally, I think any Ghibli movie that doesn't have the involvement of Miyazaki has an uphill battle to find a wide audience. But I am willing to give such a movie a chance.
Perhaps the choice of the words 'uphill battle' is a fitting one because this is indeed a challenging work.
On one hand, the art is up to the Ghibli standard (very high), the middle section is interesting, the building of suspense surrounding the mansion is engaging, and if this is Ghibli's attempt at a ghost/haunted house mystery story then it's remarkably effective.
But on the other hand, Anna is a hard character to like. Sure the pain of being the outsider can be relatable but lashing out people who try to help is not an endearing quality. Other characters seem either inconsistent (ie Marnie) or just.... there (ie Hisako). And the twist ending, as well as the exposition dump about Marnie, could have been handled better.
Was I expecting too much from Ghibli? How could I not given their staggering legacy?
So in the end I know some people love this movie but to me, it is hard to do so.
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