Warning: Contains spoilers.
When it was reported that Hayao Miyazaki’s newest film wasn’t getting any promotional material before its premiere in Japan, I remember the confusion and excitement that flowed through me. I’m a fan of Studio Ghibli works and have watched almost all of them, from fan favorites “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” to the underrated titles “Only Yesterday” and “Porco Rosso,” and so I knew that I would watch Miyazaki’s new movie anyway despite knowing nothing about it.
Nearly six months since its premiere, I was still in the dark about the elusive “The Boy and the Heron” film. Until I finally got to watch it on the big screen—and, man, it’s true: regardless of whether you come in with big expectations or none, “The Boy and the Heron” will blow you away.
“The Boy and the Heron” follows the story of 12-year-old Mahito who recently lost his mother in a hospital fire and proceeds to move out of Tokyo with his father to live with his new pregnant mother Natsuko (who is also the younger sister of his late mom).
Mahito, though quiet, respectful, and reserved, evidently still grieves the death of his mother and becomes the object of taunting by a talking Heron who goads him into believing his mother is alive and in need of saving. Mahito, of course, doesn’t trust the Heron and instead tries to hunt it down.
This all changes when Natsuko disappears after going into the mysterious tower built years ago by Mahito’s great-granduncle. In an attempt to bring her back, Mahito enters the tower and allies with the Heron to find her in a magical world.
What happens to Mahito and the Heron in that world is too grand to be able to put into words. There’s a moment when he meets the souls of those yet to be born in the form of adorable marshmallow-like creatures. He has an insightful conversation with a dying pelican about needing to hunt so that their children could live. All of them so bizarre when you first encounter them but actually teach an important message to Mahito and audiences about life and death.
What made things more exciting was how Mahito runs into a younger version of his mother, called Lady Himi for her fire powers. Lady Himi then takes Mahito to see Natsuko, who had willingly gone into the tower to give birth in the “delivery room.” At first, Natsuko isn’t happy to see Mahito and tries to drive him away, but is placated when Mahito proves that he has finally accepted her as his second mother.
Unfortunately, a problem arises and Mahito eventually meets the one lording over this magical world: his great-granduncle. Great-granduncle explains to Mahito that this world came to be because of his obsessive pursuit of knowledge but has become unstable as malice and deceit continue to spread. Mahito is then given the choice to stay and take over, which means leaving the real world behind.
In his great granduncle’s words, to stay and make something beautiful and leave behind his real life that’s full of pain, suffering, and sadness.
By this time, Mahito has gone through so much introspection that he can turn the offer down and decide to keep living his new life with his new family—despite the grief, despite the losses that may still come.
So he exits the crumbling dream world with Natsuko and the Heron and it would seem that Mahito is prepared to finally move forward. The Heron, however, warns him to immediately forget everything that had happened, saying he eventually will anyway.
Whether Mahito will or can forget, that’s his choice. But what’s certain is that he is ready to move on from the tragic loss, break away from the chains of his despair, and acknowledge that there is still so much hope and beauty in the real world—and it’s enough for him to keep living.
“The Boy and the Heron” is an extraordinary tale of overcoming loss and embracing death and life, told through a beautiful story with a colorful cast of characters in a magnificent magical realm. It’s Hayao Miyazaki at his best and definitely a must-watch.
4.0 stars out of 5
(ALSO READ: The New Studio Ghibli Theme Park Is Finally Opening in November—Here’s What It Looks Like)
Watch “The Boy and the Heron” at a cinema nearest you. Check this post to see which movie houses will show the movie in English dub starring Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson, Gemma Chan, Florence Pugh, and more. Check this post to see which ones will show the original Japanese version.
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