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Studio Ghibli

The Red Turtle – Mythic, Poetic Story of Humanity

April 19, 2017 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

It is rare that a film can seem to be poetry, and that may be even more difficult when the film has no dialogue. Yet The Red Turtle manages to be just that. It certainly has the elements of myth and legend, but it is at its core the story of humanity as seen in a man and the life that he lives out in a self-contained world.

Dutch animator Michael Dudok De Wit’s Oscar winning animated short Father and Daughter (2000) so impressed Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, that he was invited to be the first non-Japanese director to make a film for the studio. And so began a multinational collaboration that has yielded a beautiful and moving film. The animation is somewhat different than we often find in Studio Ghibli films, but it has a beauty and power of its own.

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[Synopsis includes material that might be considered spoilers, but only mildly.]

The film opens with a man tumbling about in a stormy sea. He eventually finds his way to the shore of a deserted tropical island. As he explores he discovers there is ample fruit and fresh water. But he begins to build a raft to head back to the larger world. But a giant red sea turtle keeps breaking apart the raft. When the turtle comes ashore, the man’s anger gets the best of him. He flips the turtle to its back to kill it. Yet through some mystery, the turtle is transformed, and so too is the man’s life.

After killing the turtle, the man has remorse and tries to save it. But to his surprise the carapace splits open and a woman’s body has replaced the turtle’s. He cares for the woman who soon becomes his companion on the island. They have a son who has a special affinity with the turtles. The various events that make up human life play out through the years.

[End of spoilers]

The story gives no hint to the time this may be happening or the man’s origin. In essence he is not so much a man as Man. As the film plays out he has times of joy and sorrow. He faces trials, but he also experiences a fullness of life.

Of course the first story brought to mind is Robinson Caruso, but that would be to oversimplify this film. Robinson Caruso is a story of a man overcoming his environment—of establishing a kind of dominion over nature. That is not the case with The Red Turtle. Instead we go through a discovery process that is not about man versus nature, but rather man within nature.

Fusion x64 TIFF File

The film also invokes the biblical story of Eden (and other creation myths). What does it mean to live one’s life in what might be seen as a paradise (or as a prison). In the Eden story Adam is entrusted with the Garden. In this story it seems much more like the man is entrusted to the island.

Studio Ghibli films almost always have a strong ecological element. This story is certainly a part of that tradition. The island is a wonderful ecosystem of plants, birds, crabs (the slightly comedic element of the film), and the sea that surrounds it. The man is an interloper to this place. To what extent will his presence enhance or diminish the balance of nature? When he builds rafts, most of the materials are dead plants, so he’s not destroying things. He takes advantage of various things he can scavenge. His fishing is not enough to harm things. So he generally is not the menace to the environment that humankind has been in recent decades. Rather, he seems to fit into this setting—especially after the turtle’s transformation. Whereas originally the man is a foreigner, as time passes we see that he is at home in this setting. This is his ecosystem.

This is a film rich in possibilities for further consideration. We might wonder what it means to be human in a natural world by comparing this man to the biblical Adam. What does it mean to “have dominion” over creation, as Genesis puts it, and how is that different than the way this man relates to the environment? Or we might consider what it is that makes for a good and happy life? How do the catastrophes of life (such as being shipwrecked) shape our lives and how do we find happiness in the aftermath of tragedy? What is the role of other people in making our lives content?

Special features on the Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack include comentary by de Wit, the Q&A at AFI Fest, and two featurettes, “The Birth of the Red Turtle” and “The Secrets of the Red Turtle.”

Filed Under: DVD, Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: AFIFest, animation, Eden, environmentalism, Michael Dudok De Wit, myth, no dialogue, shipwreck, Studio Ghibli, tsunami

AFIFest – Animation Sandwich

November 16, 2016 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

Eating at film festivals can sometimes be a challenge. Grabbing a quick sandwich between screenings is sometimes the best you can do. But yesterday I had a really interesting sandwich: a dark brooding film from one of my favorite Romanian directors placed between two animated films.

©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

Disney’s Moana will be in theaters November 23, but people at AFIFest got to see it a bit early. It had its premiere at the festival on Monday night with a reprise Tuesday afternoon. Moana is a Pacific Islander princess. She is a special child, who is loved by the sea, but her father the chief believes that the island they live on represents safety. Moana though feels called to leave the island in order to fulfill a part of her people’s creation mythology. So she sets off to find the demigod Maui to force him to return the heart of a goddess and restore balance to the universe. Maui isn’t so hot on the idea of heading out with this young woman, but (of course) in time they manage to appreciate each other and save the world. Music includes songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton). I’m not that fond of movie musicals, but you have to appreciate Miranda’s style.

5807f0d817a6e_the-red-turtle

The other animation was very different. The Red Turtle comes from Japan’s Studio Ghibli. But unlike its previous films, this one is not Japanese. Directed by Michael Dodok de Wit, this is a multination collaboration. A castaway finds himself on a small tropical island. He tries to find a way off the island, but is stopped each time by a red turtle. He eventually kills the turtle, but when remorse sets in the turtle transforms into a woman. The film recounts the years they spend on the island. While the story of Adam and Eve quickly comes to mind, one shouldn’t get too caught up in looking for parallels. This is a story that reflects a universal aspect of what it means to be human. Like other Studio Ghibli films, there is a strong environmental sensibility here. Man and nature are at first adversaries, but in time we discover that man and nature are not just in harmony, but that man and nature are one. The Red Turtle opens in theaters this Friday. My fuller review will follow soon.

5807f9f5125ab_graduation-3_courtesyofsundanceselects

Between these two animated films I saw Cristian Mungiu’s Graduation. Mungiu is one of the key directors in what is considered the Romanian New Wave. His films reflect the moral issues faced in the transition from Communist rule to a more democratic setting. In this film Romeo, a doctor, is the father of Eliza, a promising student who has a chance to go to the UK for university, but she must do well on her high school finals. But the day before the tests begin she is attacked. Romeo tries to get special consideration for his daughter because of the trauma and injuries. Favors are asked, connections are made. But is this the way Eliza will best be served? Is all this honest? When Eliza discovers that Romeo is having an affair, she loses all trust in his moral judgment. Romeo believes he is doing what is right for Eliza—this is her chance to get someplace better in life. But is this an example of selling one’s soul to fulfill a desire?

Photos courtesy of AFIFest presented by Audi, Walt Disney Studios, and Sundance Select

Filed Under: Current Events, Featured, Film, News, Reviews Tagged With: AFIFest, animation, Disney, Romania, Studio Ghibli

Only Yesterday – Finally Coming to North America

February 26, 2016 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

“To be a butterfly the caterpillar has to become a chrysalis first even if it never for a moment wanted to become one.”

Only Yesterday is a 1991 anime film from Studio Ghibli that is just now being released in North America as a 25th Anniversary Edition. It is a coming of age story that combines the story of Taeko as a 27 year old on a trip to the countryside with the story of her “fifth grade self along for the trip.” As an adult she relishes the trip to the country, using her vacation from her Tokyo job to work in the fields with relatives. But she also has vivid memories of herself as a child learning about menstruation in school and being embarrassed when boys thought she might be on her period. The awkwardness of her young self really hasn’t gone away even though she seems more in charge of her life. But a developing relationship with a local young man sends her back in her memories as she tries to sort out the empty places in her life.

only yesterday 1

Like many Studio Ghibli films, this may have entertainment value for children, but it is really more geared to adults. Taeko senses that she is at a point in her life that, although she is not unhappy, she lacks fulfillment. She may be physically grown up, but she still needs an emotional growth spurt to be truly mature. Part of the work she does in the country is harvesting safflowers, a yellow flower that is used to make red dye for rouge. That points to the kind of unexpected transitions that are found in nature and in our lives.

only yesterday 2

I appreciate coming of age stories that are not about sexual awakenings of adolescents, but rather about the internal maturity of becoming an adult—a process that happens over and over throughout our lives. Both the child Taeko and the adult Taeko are in the midst of such transitions. For the child, the first thoughts of romance and the exasperation of boys have her unsettled. For the adult, not having found a place in the world where she truly feels happy also creates that off-balance feeling. This is not a bemoaning of losing one’s childhood, but rather a celebration of the various stages of life that opens for us as we grow. The fifth grade Taeko is always with the adult Taeko, and that just makes her more complete. As she begins to move into yet a new transformation—a new chrysalis stage—she may not know what she will become, but it is sure to be an exciting new life.

Photos courtesy OnlyYesterdayFilm.com

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: animation, anime, coming-of-age, Japan, Studio Ghibli

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