Anna's character development is brilliant. This film has one of the best character developments I’ve seen in any movie. Anna starts out very shy, doesn't have any friends, and yet she doesn't make any attempt to be more social. She's just accepted she's forever on the "outside", until she meets Marnie and realises the importance of friendship, and that she isn’t actually alone. It was great to see Anna becoming more open and friendly over time. It makes her relatable showing her struggles of socialising as a teenager and ultimately makes us the viewer care about her.
This is very slow paced, yet it always manages to keep the viewer's interest. The first forty minutes of the film focuses on Anna, and her struggles of just trying to fit in with other kids her age, and struggling with her identity as a foster child. A lot of this time is focused on how much Anna hates herself,, even in the first scene at school she states just how much she hates herself, while watching everyone inside some social group, while she remains outside.
After Anna meets Marnie the film picks up the pace, which leads to an exciting climax. There are many scenes where Marnie and Anna are doing seemingly uneventful things, like picking mushrooms or just talking on a boat. Over time they get closer we get to learn about their personal struggles. And we realise that what we first think of people isn’t always true. When the climax occurs, we realise just how much Anna and Marnie care about each other.
The animation is fantastic. Everything is really detailed, especially during the outside scenes, like the sea during nighttime, and even the character’s facial expressions are very clear here and it’s easy to see how they are feeling.
This film isn’t without it’s flaws, although they are minor. It’s arguable whether it’s believable that Anna and Marnie became such close friends in such a short time, and it may have been nice to see them spend more time together. This movie is slow paced, especially the first 40 minutes, although it kept my interest, the slow pacing may not suit all viewers.
This is a fantastic film which follows a lonely young girl who realises that she’s not alone. If this is Studio Ghibli’s last film, they certainly ended with one of their best.
Constructive feedback is appreciated :)
