From Up on Poppy Hill: A New Age Ghibli Product

                  

Directed By: Goro Miyazaki

Year of the release: 2011

From up on Poppy Hill is a movie produced by the renowned Ghibli studio. Unlike many other movies made by the Ghibli studio, this movie is set up in the real world and focuses on the world as it is instead of painting a fictional picture with supernatural elements as found in movies like Spirited Away. 

It is a love story set in the Japan of 1963 when the country was coming to terms with its war-stricken past and was heading towards a modern future. The two main characters of the story are Umi and Shun. They both go to the same school but are very different from each other. On one hand, Umi is a family-centric girl with many household responsibilities on the other hand Shun is an outspoken boy who is actively involved in student politics and runs a school newspaper. Shun notices Umi and writes a poem dedicated to her everyday chore of raising a flag in the memory of her father. 

Umi’s character seems to be struck between the memories of her father who lost his life during the war between Japan and Korea while hoping to stride towards a future where she can find someone like her father. She imagines the time when her father was still alive and tries to calm down the unsettled storm of emotions within her. 

Umi and Shun bond soon and help each other frequently in many small ways, forging a deep understanding between them. Umi finds solace and the lost father figure in Shun. While they develop feelings for each other it is only gradually as the movie progresses that they realize to have a potential blood relation, qualifying them to be siblings. 

Such a revelation leads to a growing silence creating a vast chasm between the two. It becomes hard for them to see each other the way they earlier did and going back to normal days becomes a challenge. Much of what they feel is left unsaid. It is through this silence that one can understand the unsaid pact between the two. 

The characters reflect maturity and mutual respect towards each other which doesn’t need to be translated in words very often. As the famous French philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre said ‘every word has consequences, every silence too’ the two of them accept their fate gracefully and use silence as a medium to express their dismay. They are grateful for knowing each other despite the change in the relationship between them.

To the relief of the audience, there are found to be no direct blood relation between the two by the end of the film. The film is a beautiful rendition of the hardships of the real world. While Umi is trying to move on from a turbulent past of losing her father, Shun is trying to preserve the nation's glorious past without which forging a way to modernity is meaningless. 

The calculated use of silence over dialogues reflects the Japanese way of communicating. The film is simple yet impactful, leaving the viewer with insights into life and love. 

このブログをよんでくれてありがとうございました！

またね！