Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron

This was very moving and funny documentary.

Kaku Arakawa gets to follow closely the creative process of Hayao Miyazaki, during the making of The Boy and the Heron. He blends nicely scenes from Miyazakis movies, and the real people included in the making of the movie, and people that are/were important to Miyazaki.

I saw this film at the Helsinki international movie festival Love & Anarchy.

Some moments made the audience to laugh out loud, and some moments people were wiping their tiers.

I hope that Miyazaki is able to make more movies.

I can't recommend this documentary enough to any ghibli fan.

I think this is the third feature-length documentary I've seen set in Studio Ghibli, and I'm learning that the behind-the-scenes stories there are often just as interesting as the stories the studio tells in its films. That's doubly so for this documentary and The Boy and the Heron, which overwhelmed me when I first saw it. I remember reading about the film's autobiographical elements, and then it all clicked on a second watch. This documentary does indeed confirm much of the meaning behind The Boy and the Heron, but not without giving it all away. It's not a film about explaining everything, but you do get a good deal of context and insight anyway.

It also gave me added appreciation for how hands-on Miyazaki remains as a filmmaker. There are other directors making films in their 80s or older, but I doubt many of them still have the same kind of intense creative control they might've had back when they were younger... or they do, but they've lost it a bit skill-wise (sorry Coppola, Megalopolis was a blast at times, but also super sloppy). Miyazaki is still the author of the films he makes, and if his latest shows us anything, he really hasn't lost it creatively.

Also, this is probably Hayao Miyazaki at his most human. He's been a funny, kind of grumpy old man/genius in the past, but you really feel for him at parts throughout this documentary. It doesn't shy away from getting old, losing motivation, and facing the idea of friends passing away at a moment's notice. The editing really makes a good many emotional moments here hit harder. I come away from the whole thing even more thankful that Miyazaki got to finish The Boy and the Heron and that it came out so well; maybe even one of his very best.

Also, this documentary is probably a tad too long and sometimes repetitive, but much of it's engaging. Just saying that because I don't think it's perfect, but it was very good, and a must-watch for Studio Ghibli fans, or anyone who wants to fully appreciate an artist like Miyazaki.

Much of the content from this documentary can be found in other, better documentaries. I recommend Never-Ending Man. It has a stronger narrative and illuminates more of Miyazaki's actual decision making and design process.

From the opening shot of Miyazaki in the hot spring, I thought, "this is an odd opening for the movie". Miyazaki sits nude, with his genitals pixelated, staring at the camera. As a filmmaker, every shot is intentional. It's not there by accident, it's conscious. What does it communicate? Nothing, it's over in an instant, traveling through scenes from a life, paced with rapid cuts. From this opening, it becomes apparent very quickly that the editor of this piece has no sense of storytelling, seemingly no care in putting these pieces together. Such a thoughtless presentation of such a thoughtful man.

Miyazaki's life advances, but senseless editing gives no sense of time, disparate clips from Miyazaki films are interwoven with no rhythm. The film rushes, with title cards counting down days but gone without a moment to breathe. As we move from the death of one friend to another, scenes and shots are smattered together, with cuts happening in fractions of seconds. Why did they cut there, why are they showing me this, what is even going on? At times it becomes a near visual jumble, difficult to watch or understand moments that should have emotional impact but are instead choked for air.

There's no sensibility here. Everything out of context. The man is worth my time, this movie isn't.

While Hayao Miyazaki's fascinating complex and sometimes contradicting personality traits are well known, the editing in this documentary communicates this in a way that uses the film medium for what it's worth. The kind of "stream of consciousness" way of trying to represent his thoughts works very well. At one point you see him just sitting there, then the screen starts flashing with images from his earlier movies or friends who are now dead, representing a reference to what he's about to say or what he just said in a way that feels like a thought.

Also it gets increasingly clear that Ghibli is nothing without Suzuki. When Miyazaki and Takahata were lost in fantasy, Suzuki was there to keep them grounded.

Please go watch.