Miyazaki's masterpiece, despite, no, because it so casually throws away the time-tested rules for storytelling. (Yes, the same rules I've pretty much devoted my life to studying and mastering.) There is no real conflict in this movie until the last ten minutes; until that point, it's almost completely observational, following two girls as they move into an old country house with their father to be near their hospitalized mother. While there, they meet... Nah, forget it. It's beautiful. It's amazingly observed (the two girls are probably the most realistic characters ever created in a cartoon, and yet, at the same time, they probably couldn't be replicated by human beings). It's hilarious. It's like a story that was created by an eight year old who somehow has the artistic genius of... well, Miyazaki. (While I love the other Miyazaki films I've seen, this is the only one I know that gets down to the level and temperament of its protagonists.) If you haven't seen it yet, then, dammit, what are you waiting for?
(Oh, that's right, this. 27 more days, as of this writing.)
Where we saw it: tv | We deign to rate it: 100 outta 100