There is a Japanese animated film called Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki. I'm a bit of a Miyazaki nerd and this, I think, is my favorite of his. I saw this in the theatre in Japan in 2001 with my mother, my nieces and Philip and had a cinematic experience that was rare anymore--I had no idea what was going to happen from one minute to the next, totally immersed and invested in the world that was unfolding and walked away feeling like I was truly on a journey. And as good movie and theatre should, it led to many good discussions after.
Nerd fact: this film won many awards including the Academy Awards for best animated feature, but the most notable is the Berlin International Film Festival where it won the best film, NOT IN THE ANIMATED CATEGORY. End of Nerd fact.
I remember that my middle niece was about 7 and was scared of some scenes (as I was at age 32) so I had it in my mind that I would introduce this to Yuki in a couple of years. Yuki has seen other Miyazaki film, some that is age appropriate like Totoro (which was the very first movie she ever saw) and Kiki. She has also seen other, more difficult ones but not all the way through. Recently, she pulled this out and asked if she could watch it. I told her that I was a little concerned about a couple of scary scenes and she asked what those scenes involved. I described them and she expressed interest despite of those scenes. Now I have to say that Philip has done a really good job of demystifying scary things in movies for Yuki. Because she has been around my theatre and understands actors play parts, he used that to tell her that those people are just actors in scary make up or something is a puppet (Star Wars and the first two Harry Potter we allowed her to watch) and that made it better. And while she still suspends her disbelief, she can now step back and not freak out (or if she starts to, we can use that to remind her). So with that, I let her see the film.
I sat with her so that I can give her a heads up on what was coming (which seems like ruining the story but for her, right now, she does a lot better if she can brace herself) and she asked me questions as we watched--because, there are so many things that provoke questions that they don't even talk about, which is what I love about the film. We got through it and I was watching her reaction as the end credit was rolling. I asked her what she thought of it and she said that the end made her sad. That she missed Chihiro's adventure and the friends she made and it made her feel like crying when she had to leave. Then we launched into this discussion about how some movies will make us feel emotional and sad sometimes and it's OK to feel like that and it's even OK to cry.
"It is?!"
She said.
"It totally is."
I said.
"I cry at movies all the time."
Then about two weeks later, she asked to watch it again. This time, she didn't need any aid because she knew what to expect. The movie ended and as I sat next to her she started whimpering while the credits were rolling. I put my arms around her and said, "are you sad?"
Then she opened up the flood gate. She sobbed. I mean she wailed. She made so much noise crying that Philip came down to see what happened. I was rubbing her back and mouthed to him that she was crying over the film. He quietly doubled over and turned around and went back up stairs. I held her for about 5 minutes while she had a good cry. Then I was beginning to grow weary of the drama (that I help create, I realize) so I pulled out a program for the film (which is something you can get in Japan) and showed it to her. She continued her cry while eyeballing the pages and eventually, took it from my hands. I left the couch for a bit and when I returned, she had the merchandise page open and was telling me which ones she wanted. I told her to save up her money for when we go to Japan next time.
I'm afraid she is going to have this cry every time now. I suppose I could teach her worse things. And maybe it's a good way to get it out, like it is for grown ups. If she ever becomes an actor, this will be an excellent trigger for her method acting to cry on cue.
Nerd fact: this film won many awards including the Academy Awards for best animated feature, but the most notable is the Berlin International Film Festival where it won the best film, NOT IN THE ANIMATED CATEGORY. End of Nerd fact.
I remember that my middle niece was about 7 and was scared of some scenes (as I was at age 32) so I had it in my mind that I would introduce this to Yuki in a couple of years. Yuki has seen other Miyazaki film, some that is age appropriate like Totoro (which was the very first movie she ever saw) and Kiki. She has also seen other, more difficult ones but not all the way through. Recently, she pulled this out and asked if she could watch it. I told her that I was a little concerned about a couple of scary scenes and she asked what those scenes involved. I described them and she expressed interest despite of those scenes. Now I have to say that Philip has done a really good job of demystifying scary things in movies for Yuki. Because she has been around my theatre and understands actors play parts, he used that to tell her that those people are just actors in scary make up or something is a puppet (Star Wars and the first two Harry Potter we allowed her to watch) and that made it better. And while she still suspends her disbelief, she can now step back and not freak out (or if she starts to, we can use that to remind her). So with that, I let her see the film.
I sat with her so that I can give her a heads up on what was coming (which seems like ruining the story but for her, right now, she does a lot better if she can brace herself) and she asked me questions as we watched--because, there are so many things that provoke questions that they don't even talk about, which is what I love about the film. We got through it and I was watching her reaction as the end credit was rolling. I asked her what she thought of it and she said that the end made her sad. That she missed Chihiro's adventure and the friends she made and it made her feel like crying when she had to leave. Then we launched into this discussion about how some movies will make us feel emotional and sad sometimes and it's OK to feel like that and it's even OK to cry.
"It is?!"
She said.
"It totally is."
I said.
"I cry at movies all the time."
Then about two weeks later, she asked to watch it again. This time, she didn't need any aid because she knew what to expect. The movie ended and as I sat next to her she started whimpering while the credits were rolling. I put my arms around her and said, "are you sad?"
Then she opened up the flood gate. She sobbed. I mean she wailed. She made so much noise crying that Philip came down to see what happened. I was rubbing her back and mouthed to him that she was crying over the film. He quietly doubled over and turned around and went back up stairs. I held her for about 5 minutes while she had a good cry. Then I was beginning to grow weary of the drama (that I help create, I realize) so I pulled out a program for the film (which is something you can get in Japan) and showed it to her. She continued her cry while eyeballing the pages and eventually, took it from my hands. I left the couch for a bit and when I returned, she had the merchandise page open and was telling me which ones she wanted. I told her to save up her money for when we go to Japan next time.
I'm afraid she is going to have this cry every time now. I suppose I could teach her worse things. And maybe it's a good way to get it out, like it is for grown ups. If she ever becomes an actor, this will be an excellent trigger for her method acting to cry on cue.
I..can't...stop...the crying
Comments