MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO : Things to notice and questions unanswered

 

WDIRECTOR - HAYAO MIYAZAKI

RRELEASED DATE - 16 APRIL 1988

a After a very long time, i have found a movie which captivates throughout its length, takes to its own world. Here, you feel magic without wands and magic spells. 

              yes, we are talking about a genius creation by Hayao Miyazaki, a movie called ' My neighbour Totoro '.

               The movie starts with a frame where a vehicle is shown with stuffs that indicate the someone is shifting house. Even in the first frame the director doesn't dissapoints, almost picturesque. Nowdays, when we praise beauty highly , we say it looks like painting, well here is a fantastic panting.

                Story starts as a father of two girls shifts to a new house in japan. Their mom is in hospital. After reaching the house, as the father engages in furnishing house, the kids find grain seeds, they become curious and search from where these seeds are coming. Through the days of their adjusting , they meet sacred figure of forest which they name ' TOTORO '. 

          SCENES WHERE THE DIRECTOR EXCELLED-----

1  1.   The whole picture is in dreamy frame, it soothes the eye and takes you to its own world.

     2. One thing you can notice that it has limited characters, and nothing seems out of place.

     3. One scene where Mei and Satsuki are returning from school and it starts raining. They take shelter . Kanta , the boy is seen coming with umbrella, he sees the girls and hides his face with umbrella as he doesn't want to share the umbrella.   He moves ahead but stops, he comes back and offers umbrella to the girls, when they hesitate to accept it, he drops the umbrella and runs to house.

                     Now, notice that initially the selfishness of the boy prevails when he hides his face with the umbrella and moves ahead, then after his inner conscience and inherent goodness takes over and returns to give the umbrella to girls.

                     After reaching home , he lies to his parents about losing it.

        Excellent display of emotions.

      4. When Mei goes missing , it seems easy to guess that she must have gone to Totoro, you almost feel sad that why Satsuki is not going to the forest in the first place. She assumes that Mei may be heading to the hospital, she runs towards it to find her. The people on the way say that they have not noticed any small girl passing by . She starts to return when she meets the local boy who informs her that villagers have found a sandal floating in the river pond. 

                  Scene where Satsuki notices the sandal , the pause in the scene almost makes us to guess something terrible.

     5. Scene where Satsuki and Mei are eating cucumber while sitting with their nanny, while talking , some cucumber is shown in the mouth of the kids, it shows the childish nature that they don't wait for the food in the mouth to finish to say something, even though most adults don't differ from it. Paying attention to the small details makes Miyazaki master of the craft.

     6. When Satsuki tells Mei that their mom is not coming back soon, the refusal of Mei to admit the truth shows the innocence of child.

     7. Ofcourse , the theme of animism ( finding God in nature ) rules the movie. It is emphasized in the scene where Mei admits that she has met Totoro, her father takes both child to the local deity to say grace.

     8. After seeing Totoro , none of the child gets afraid, it shows that coherence with nature.

               It is very difficult to find any weak points in the movie but still in my view----

     1. The way seeds of grains are shown in starting , the way the girls collect it, the way Totoro hands it Satsuki, and the way the kids wait for it too sprout, i believe it deserved a conclusion in the ending or may be like in the dream shown.

    2. No kid wears kimono anymore, maybe cultural change.

    3. It is not clear about the type of hat the local boy wears all the time.

    4. In the scene where Mei and Satsuki return from hospital, when granny sees them, yes the happiness can make her move fast but in the frame moving as fast as Mei doesn't look convincing.

                well, in my opinion Hayao Miyazaki truly looks like successor of Akira Kurosawa. The grandeur of frame and the art of storytelling is as par if not exceeding.....