The Boy and the Heron
For much of the film, I felt kept at a distance. Rich images and inventive creatures filled the screen, but the story wandered in ways I couldn’t quite follow. I’ve often struggled with Studio Ghibli, and this seemed another that would elude me.
Then, in the final stretch, the pieces aligned. Grief, memory, and the burden of inheritance coalesced into a parable that felt unmistakably personal. Miyazaki seemed to be revisiting his wartime childhood while also confronting the question of legacy—what to carry forward, and what to lay down.
What endures is less a plot than a state of feeling—unsettling at times, but ultimately generous. The Boy and the Heron may not be the easiest to grasp, yet by its close it felt like a parting gift, moving because of the effort it asked me to make.
Then, in the final stretch, the pieces aligned. Grief, memory, and the burden of inheritance coalesced into a parable that felt unmistakably personal. Miyazaki seemed to be revisiting his wartime childhood while also confronting the question of legacy—what to carry forward, and what to lay down.
What endures is less a plot than a state of feeling—unsettling at times, but ultimately generous. The Boy and the Heron may not be the easiest to grasp, yet by its close it felt like a parting gift, moving because of the effort it asked me to make.
Mini Review: For much of the film I felt held at a distance: rich images, inventive creatures, but a story that wandered. I’ve often struggled with Ghibli, and this seemed another. Then, in the final stretch, grief, memory, and inheritance coalesced into something unmistakably personal—Miyazaki weighing legacy. What lasts isn’t plot but feeling: unsettling yet generous. The Boy and the Heron may be elusive, but by its close it felt like a parting gift.
More Reviews of The Boy and the Heron
titireviewer
Um dos melhores de animação que já ganhou o Oscar um dia, O Menino e a Garça é um filme complexo que bufa a sua mente, assim que você entra nele que como o grande cineasta Glaub...
Malaki2008
Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning fantasy is a deeply moving, semi-autobiographical maze of a movie, standing as one of his most visually striking and psychologically complex works...
Geniasis
There are works of art that do not attempt to explain the world so much as expose the trembling limits of our understanding. The Boy and the Heron is such a work—a fable carved ...
See all 4 reviews of The Boy and the Heron
Watch the Trailer