When Marnie Was There

When Marnie Was There – Anna is an introverted young high school student who lives with her foster parents. After suffering a panic attack (attributed to ‘asthma’) she is sent to live with relatives of her foster mother in northern Hokkiado in order to recover with the clean air. When exploring, she discovers an old house and strikes up an unlikely friendship with Marnie, the exuberant young girl who lives there. As their friendship develops and Anna’s feelings grow, it becomes clear that there is something very unusual about Marnie and her home. Will their friendship be able to stand the truth of their connection?

When Marnie Was There (2014) – Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Rating: U

Running Length: 103 mins

Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Hailee Steinfeld, John C. Reilly

Genre: Animated, Drama

REVIEW: ‘WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE’

Adapted from the book by Joan G. Robinson, When Marnie Was There is (to date) the last movie from the critically acclaimed Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli. It is also a distinct departure of style from many previous Ghibli films as it covers a wide range of social and personal issues that aren’t usually touched upon by the studio.

Anna as a protagonist is a nuanced and passive character. Shortly after we first meet her she succumbs to a panic attack and she personality is much more introverted than a typical Ghibli lead. She actively avoids conversations with others and, when pressured into discussion by someone slightly overbearing, lashes out with rude dismissal. And yet, the skill of When Marnie Was There and director Yonebayashi is that you do empathise with her. She is arguably much more real that the usual stoic and determined leads that Ghibli favour.

When Marnie Was There is principally about a summer connection that draws Anna out of her shell. There are strong romantic undertones to her burgeoning friendship with Marnie, even if this isn’t explicitly stated. But thrown into the mix are such issues as mental health, adopted child guilt, feeling an outsider due to mixed race heritage, and child abuse. The movie dances around these themes as backdrops rather than fully exploring any of them, which is a shame. The focus is clearly on the two leads and they overrule other potentially interesting side points that could have been brought in. And let’s not forget that another plot device is weaved in which requires a big monologue in the ending 15 minutes to explain!

Your enjoyment of the movie will likely stem from how much the connection between Anna and Marnie resonates with you. Whilst Anna is a richly drawn bundle of emotions, Marnie’s zest for life is more one note and her facial animations seem to lack the nuance of Anna. Her eyes are often fixed and wide. Most likely this is to try and evoke a quality of innocence but it tends to mean she’s harder to read. Regardless, the growth of Anna throughout the movie is compelling and it almost goes without saying that When Marnie Was There is a gorgeously animated film that both delights the eye but also thematically matches Anna’s conflicting emotions with bruised skies and choppy waters.

The nature of the ‘summer fling which enriches a protagonist’ plot line means this movie is definitely geared more towards the teen market but even for adults there is plenty to get absorbed into here. Anna is a deeply unusual Ghibli lead character and that makes When Marnie Was There all the more compelling to visit and revisit.

CONTENT: IS ‘WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Anna sits and sketches her surroundings at a school park, A teacher asks to look at the drawing and she hesitates. He is called away, but her breathing becomes ragged, she squeezes her sketch book hard, and grinds her pencil into the back of it until it snaps. This is later attributed to asthma but is more akin to a panic attack.

Anna uses a very sharp knife to sharpen a pencil.

Anna gets stranded when exploring and the tides change. A silent man in a rowboat approaches and she gets in to his boat. There is nothing untoward about this but we mention it in case you want to have a discussion about not implicitly trusting strangers.

During a festival that Anna does not want to attend, a very forthright girl won’t stop talking to her. She gets frustrated and says ‘leave me alone, you fat pig!’. The girl is very offended and insults her back. Anna runs away, upset and ranting at herself. She says she is, ‘Ugly, stupid, moody and unpleasant. That’s why I hate myself.’ This other girl isn’t seen again until the end of the movie when Anna does apologise for what she said.

There is a flashback scene of adults arguing. A small child is sat in a chair clutching a doll, with tears in her eyes. The scene only lasts around 10 seconds.

Anna rows a boat out by herself despite the risks of not being a good rower.

When the mother of the girl Anna insulted tells the adults Anna is staying with, they defend her. Once the mother is gone they laugh about it and say ‘fat pig may have been a bit harsh’. She therefore isn’t chastised for this insult that came out of nowhere.

Marnie and Anna try to escape Marnie’s elderly nanny. They barge past her and Marnie throws a duvet over her. Marnie then locks her in a room.

Anna is given wine by an adult man. She drinks it before realising and then rejects it.

A section of the movie deals with foster child guilt when it is discovered that guardians are paid by the government to foster. The adopted child talks about feeling resentment at being a source of income for their guardian.

Marnie talks about being bullied by the two maids and nanny who look after her. A scene shows the maids dragging her by the arm to an abandoned silo which is said to be haunted in order to scare her. Lighting strikes terrify them all and they flee.

Anna decided to take Marnie to the silo in order to break her fear. Marnie gets more anxious the closer they get. Once inside, another storm hits and Marnie is terrified. Anna remains brave for her but Marnie screams and cowers in fear.

Anna spends a long time out in the cold and wet and develops a fever as a result.

One character tells a story which reveals the entire backstory of another. The story is very sad and involves many people in someone’s life dying. Other characters sob at the tragic nature of the person’s life and this scene lasts around 5 minutes.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE’ FOR KIDS?

Due to the summer connection / romance theme of When Marnie Was There this movie is unlikely to appeal to younger children, despite little outright unsuitable content. The movie’s coming of age and strength of emotions core appeal is likely to be most enjoyed by a pre-teen and teenage audience. However, based on content alone we would recommend that When Marnie Was There is suitable for all ages, but with support perhaps required for the short scary parts or strongly emotional ending.

• Violence: 0/5
• Emotional Distress: 3/5 (Anna suffers from panic attacks and actively avoids social situations. She calls herself stupid and expresses a lot of self-loathing. Her emotions are repressed but bubble up with intensity at several points in the movie)
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (the sections both describing and visiting the silo are full of loud storms and scared characters)
• Sexual Content: 0/5 (whilst it is very much implied that the connection between Anna and Marnie goes beyond friendship and borders on romantic, this is never shown with any kind of physical affection or explicit verbal confirmation)
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 1/5 (Anna insults a girl by calling her a ‘fat pig’ without any real provocation)
• Other notes: Deals with themes of social anxiety, depression, same sex attraction, mixed race heritage, child neglect and abuse, adoption, whether foster families are real families, experiencing intense connections with people, and the importance of being true to yourself.

Words by Michael Record