Anime-maniacs: When Marnie Was There

When Marnie Was There was the last film made by Studio Ghibli before their long hiatus from filmmaking. Their 2014 offering was a touching coming-of-age of story.

Anna (Sara Takaatsuki) is a shy, arty 12-year-old who is sent to a coastal village to help with her asthma. She becomes emanated by an abandoned mansion on the salt marshes and befriends a girl who seems to live there.

When Marnie Was There was based on a novel by Joan G. Robinson, a British children’s author. This wouldn’t be the first time Studio Ghibli has adapted British stories: Howl’s Moving Castle, Tales of Earthsea, and Arrietty were based on British novels. The film adaptation of When Marnie Was There updated the setting and changed the location from Norfolk to Hokkaido; but it still has the air of a British story. This was due to the rural setting and the fantasy elements have a more of a personal connection to the main character. The story fits into Studio Ghibli’s wheelhouse. A lot of Studio Ghibli’s work has focused on young girls who grow up over the course of the film.

The themes of When Marnie Was There were identity and self-acceptance. The film opens with Anna narrating and saying she hates herself. Anna was a foster child because her parents and grandmother died when she was young. Even though her foster mum loves Anna and Anna’s foster mum’s family treats the young girl as a relative, Anna still feels like an outsider. Anna’s foster mum states Anna was a happy, smiley girl but she had recently changed and became withdrawn.

This part of the film was like A Silent Voice, another film that looked at teen angst and issues of self-loathing. Anna’s journey was to overcome these feelings and Marnie was able to help Anna realise this. The fantasy element of the film made When Marnie Was There similar to A Monster Calls because it was a way for Anna to deal with her feelings. At times, the film has a gothic feeling because of decaying buildings and the fancy party Anna and Marnie end up clashing.

When Marnie Was There has a twist, but I saw it coming early in the film. The film does lead audiences to the conclusion with its foreshadowing. Mr. Oiwa (Susumu Terajima) tells Anna there were ghosts in some in the buildings, Mrs. Oiwa (Toshie Negisha) told Anna the Marsh House used to be owned by a foreign family, and one girl makes a point that Anna has blue eyes. But the point of the twist wasn’t to surprise audiences, it was done for emotional impact and this was done well. The twist was given emotional weight and it had the impact required because it pulled my heartstrings.

Being a Studio Ghibli film When Marnie Was There was a beautifully animated film. There was a great amount of detail like animals like lived on sea marsh.

Due to the film being set over a summer the pacing was relaxed. The issue this produced was the film lacked urgency. When Marnie Was There was a personal story of self-realisation, but because of this, the film does have a looser plot which could turn off some people.

When Marnie Was There can be best described as a nice film with a positive message, but it’s not quite a top-tier effort from Studio Ghibli.