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Film Review: Wolf Children



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Mon Jan 13, 2014 4:19 am
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birk says...



This is a film review written for ArcticMonkey’s contest. I chose to review the Japanese animated picture Wolf Children, which I believe to be one of this year’s finest.

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In early 2012, I came across a movie called The Girl who leapt Through Time, and after viewing it several times, trying to comprehend its complex story; I embraced it, as well as its director Mamoru Hosada. After this, I viewed his 2nd theatrical film Summer Wars, which I may have enjoyed even more. Longing for another piece by the director, I didn’t have to wait long.

Released in Japan in 2012, it wasn’t released in the states before 2013.

Wolf Children tells the story of nineteen year old college student Hana, including her struggles, love, loss and ultimately, the trials of letting go.

As narrated by her future daughter, Hana meets and falls in love with a mysterious young man, who has been sneaking into her college classes. As they become closer, he reveals something astounding to her; he is in fact a Wolf-Man, being the last line of his descent and having the ability to change into a wolf at any moment. Shocked, she accepts him for who he is.

Building a life together, Hana soon gives birth to a girl and later a boy, both of them carrying the same abilities as their father. However, their happy little family won’t last long. One rainy night, the Wolf-Man doesn’t return and Hana goes out looking for him. This brings us to one of the film’s most haunting moments, as she finds his animal corpse dead at the hands of unknowing humans. The entirety of this scene is done without any music, with only our character’s sobbing cries being drowned out by the pouring rain. Pure beauty, albeit in tragedy.

This entire romance is done within twenty minutes and I find it completely flawless, there is nothing more we would need.

Finding herself alone at raising her children Yuki and Ame, Hana tries to continue raising them in the city as she had promised herself, but soon she leaves for a small countryside home where the children can be more free.

As I watch this woman go through incredible hardships to make their lives work, I can’t help but fall in love with her character. Soon, as she rebuilds their new home, learn how to farm and try to fit in with their neighbors, the kids themselves react to their new environment differently. One of them embracing their new home and freedom and the reluctant and wanting of their old city home. Ultimately, both of them find their path, and Hana is faced with the possibility of having to let go a lot earlier than most parents.

Wolf Children is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. The opening shot alone made me question whether this was animated or real life. However, real life doesn’t get this beautiful. The locations and points of view that the film gives us are equally marvelous. And as a lover of Japanese culture and architecture, it’s just one more aspect of the film I love.

Naturally, one would compare this, as well as all of Hosada’s works, to the Studio Ghibli greats as well as to its esteemed director Hayao Miyazaki. And the comparison is not wrong. In fact, Hosada himself was attached to direct the film that Miyazaki himself would direct, Howl’s Moving Castle back in 2004. And now that the master himself is apparently retiring for good, this is the one man I now look to in the future.

I would consider Wolf Children as an adult version of Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro. It’s a small muted story, in a confined setting, telling the story of a small family and their coming of age. It has less magical mystery and characters, yet it contains more drama and adult emotion. Save for the origin of this wolf ability, which carefully threads the entire story and is kept very much out of focus as it’s not what is important, there isn’t anything magical that mirrors it to Totoro.

To my surprise, my local theatre actually had a showing of this movie last December. And though I had already seen it, I had to catch it on the big screen. Sadly though, I read in my local paper not long ago, that Wolf Children had had among the fewest visitor of the year. In fact, it had only had seven (!) visitors, meaning only five others had gone. This saddened me, as I’m sure taking in a film like this was quite a risk that in the end didn’t pay off. I guess I won’t be seeing small films like this on the big screen anymore.

As with Princess Mononoke, this is one of the best English voice dubs I have heard. Not getting any big name actors here, just solid voice performers, who make their living with voices. The soundtrack is also amazing, every time I hear it I can almost drift away.


Before watching this, if I told myself that what is arguably my favorite film of 2013 was a Japanese movie about werewolf offspring, I would have laughed it off. Yet here I am, praising it.



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Last edited by birk on Mon Jan 20, 2014 5:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"I never saved anything for the swim back."


Do not mistake coincidence for fate. - Mr Eko

they're selling razor blades and mirrors in the street
  





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212 Reviews

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Gender: Male
Points: 13620
Reviews: 212
Mon Jan 13, 2014 4:23 am
birk says...



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140203/?ref_=nv_sr_3

A quick link, definately one to check out ;)
"I never saved anything for the swim back."


Do not mistake coincidence for fate. - Mr Eko

they're selling razor blades and mirrors in the street
  








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