The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

In the wake of his mother’s death and his father’s remarriage, a headstrong boy named Mahito ventures into a dreamlike world shared by both the living and the dead.

Let me start off by saying this animated film is not for kids. With its complex and confusing story involving different worlds and time periods, it is very difficult to follow. I believe kids will be completely lost here.

Mahito lost his mother in a hospital fire during the war. Four years later him and his Dad moves to Tokyo to his dad’s new girlfriend, Natsuko, who is pregnant with their child. The moment Mahito arrives at the house, a grey heron shows interest in him.

After a fight at school, Mahito deliberately hits himself against the head with a rock on the way home, causing an injury greater than he anticipated. This results in him being out of school for the next few days. During this time, Natsuko’s morning sickness intensifies, and Mahito notices her wandering into the forest one day. When she doesn’t return, Mahito goes in search of her. The heron then also tells Mahito his mother is still alive. This sets in motion many interesting events as Mahito journeys to different worlds.

Mahito still misses his mother and constantly has visions of her in the fire. Filled with surreal imagery, the film has a magical feel to it. It is very imaginative, although at times maybe a bit too much. There’s also so much happening in this movie that I probably won’t remember half of the events. Some of the characters were very similar in appearance to characters from ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ – also films from Studio Ghibli.

The animation is beautiful and the film has a hauntingly beautiful score. Unfortunately, ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is not a movie I would easily recommend. You have to pay very close attention to understand what is going on. If you don’t like reading subtitles, even less so. (Luckily, as for me, watching movies with subtitles is almost second nature.)

‘The Boy and the Heron’ received 115 award nominations to date, winning 31 including the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.

In Japanese.

Would I watch it again? No.