Afterthoughts: ‘When Marnie Was There’
WARNING: Do NOT read if you haven’t seen the 2014 film. Contains Spoilers.
What type of memory would you use to heal a loved one?
Would it be one of your happiest?
Your saddest?
Something in between?
I finally had the chance to see Studio Ghibli’s beautiful adaptation of When Marnie Was There (2014, Hiromasa Yonebayashi). As an only child, daughter of a mother who was also an only child, whose mother had a similarly troubled childhood…the film tugged at my heartstrings.
Optimistic, yet also decidedly heartbreaking, the relationship between Marnie and Anna is riveting and unique.
There’s an ongoing debate amongst those who believe Marnie is a ghost, and those who consider the events in the film are nothing but memories. Perhaps, it’s both. Perhaps the memories we leave behind also carry a life of their own. Perhaps the history of those who came before us has the ability to teach us, guide us and heal us along the way.
It’s this aspect of the narrative that makes it incredibly compelling. What’s significant is that, somehow, the memories of Marnie’s life as a child are brought to life by Anna’s presence, and most importantly: her pain. Maybe our memories are the real ghosts that haunt the places we’ve loved, treasured and feared.
Anna, the self-hating child whom ventures into the old, abandoned mansion, brings them to life. In the process, both Marnie and Anna heal their wounds, soothing their loneliness by defeating the limits of time and space. Consequently, Anna, who still has the chance to truly live, can finally forgive the people who are gone, and, in the process, she forgives herself.
When Marnie Was There is a revelation. The studio that gifted us with Princess Mononoke (1997, Hayao Miyazaki), My Neighbor Totoro (1988, Miyazaki) and Spirited Away (2001, Miyazaki), has done it again with a beautifully crafted story which reminds us that sometimes we must look back and reconcile with our past in order to move forward.
The animation is as stunning and dream-like as ever, with the customary Ghibli touch. The music is touching, and the end credits song, Fine on the Outside, embodies the spirit of the tale quite wonderfully -I’ve found myself listening to it on repeat since I first heard it!
If there’s a weakness to the story, it might be that the revelation of the twist seems to occur twice. And while the animation makes you believe that Anna has understood it through Hisako’s tale, it so happens that the next scene contradicts this by showing Anna slowly putting two and two together. For a perceptive audience, it might seem baffling at first.
Still, it’s a delightful and lingering story. Just like the memories that inhabit the old mansion, the film stays with us after it ends. Marnie’s last goodbye to her grandchild and friend is a bittersweet sendoff for both Anna and us.
I can’t help but wonder what I would see if I could peak into the recollections of the people I love. Or even the people who have hurt me. What type of secrets would I learn? How would that change my perspective of them? How would it change me?… And what could others see in mine?
All we can hope is that the memories we leave behind can ease someone else’s burdens after we are gone. If through the pain we experience we can still bring joy to others, mend their wounds, appease their distress… why wouldn’t we?
