A simple film that deals with the sadness of having an ill parent
and the disruption associated with it. I’d imagine the feeling of simplicity
was only managed because the film was animation, had it not been it would’ve
felt heavy. Perhaps too heavy. With this film you could see how the family were
affected but without it becoming a terrible weight upon them. They could still
enjoy things and laugh but at the same
time keep with them the pain felt for their absent mother. It’s not always easy
to see past your own pain and realise what is around you. My Neighbour Totoro portrayed a side to pain you don't always see and I loved it for that.
I was taking notes as I was watching (and by taking notes I
mean typing the odd thought into my phone) and the first was “Almost
sickeningly happy family”. The Dad was really great despite having to work and
look after his energetic children all by himself and the kids were happy and laughing
which apparently to my brain said ‘ugh, too much’. But I think that’s just because
you never really see that; just pure enjoying-the-moment. I find I can’t really
enjoy something until after it happened and I’ve had time to really think about
it. Did I have a good time? I can’t tell when I’m in amongst it, I need to take
a step back and digest what happened. But then by that time the moment has
passed. This, I think, explains my behaviour when I’ve been drinking. I know I’m
supposed to be enjoying myself so I amp myself up to dizzying heights but then afterwards I
know I didn’t really have a good time and I was just kidding myself throughout. I'm quite envious of the children here and wish I could be similar.
Anyway, back to the film. The family have moved to a new
home to be closer to their mother who is in hospital. The children spend their
time exploring their new surroundings while their Dad sets up the house and they
discover soot sprites which is their first brush with the supernatural. They don’t
seem to terrify them which is quite opposite to the effect they had on me. As the elder sister heads off to school the
younger spends her time exploring. She discovers little totoros and follows
them through the woods near her house. They lead her to the large totoro which
she immediately loves and calls Totoro. Unfortunately when she tries so show
her sister and Dad they can’t find them again but this is explained as being
because the creatures only show themselves when they want to and only to
children. The bond the girls form with Totoro is a strong one and after the
younger sister goes missing, it and the cat bus (I know, I know) help to find
her again.
A cat bus. A bus that is a cat. What I think is brilliant
here is that had an adult seen the cat bus they’d have freaked out or thought
they were ill but the children just accepted it (and even ride in it later).
Children are naturally more open to things, perhaps because they’ve not been
taught to discount anything that doesn't make sense. In the film
the children are the only characters to see the creatures which could suggest
that adults are closed off to the magic in the world around them.
Much like in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, people don’t let themselves
see what makes no sense in their lives. A bus that is a cat? No, thank you, I’ll
just carry on believing it’s the wind. I'd like to think had I seen the cat bus I'd have remained calm but in all honesty, the damn thing terrified me. It looks demented. Do not like.
There’s a theory floating around about this film which puts
a decidedly darker spin on the Totoro, claiming that it is the Angel of Death.
It uses as support a story of the death of two girls in Japan. Apparently the
younger was found stabbed to death and the elder babbles something about a big ‘raccoon’,
which is supposed to be Totoro. I can understand the appeal of such a story and
the film itself would make quite a bit of sense if that were the case but the
theory has been refuted by Studio Ghibli so if they say that’s not what it is,
then that’s not what it is. The events in the film are presented without trying
to portray any hidden story of murder and it still remains a strong story in
itself. While I might've liked a darker depth to the story, it is great by itself and I would definitely watch it again and enjoy it much the same.
8/10
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