The Boy and the Heron Review - Saberspark

[Music] hey folks uh remember this channel because I did not I forgot about it um it was a channel just to kind of talk about topics I couldn't get around to on the main Channel things that you wouldn't see on the main Channel I'm pretty sure I spoke about Spartacus at one point um I'm trying to revitalize this channel to be a new place for me to talk about movies and shows and just whatever I I I can't get around to on the main channel it's not to say that there's a degree of like priority I mean there kind of is I I want to make sure the main channel is getting the standards that you have come to know that I hope you've come to know but here uh the second channel is more of a place for me to talk about stuff where I want to talk about it I just can't get around to it it's just not enough time not enough resources and this is going to be hopefully making a genuine effort to at least show you all that I watch more than just bad movies on the main Channel So today we're talking about Studio jbl's newest film the boy in the Heron which was originally called how do you live so I saw the movie yesterday in theaters and I wanted to see it dubbed I accidentally saw it subbed instead which is not like a bad thing but I avoided the trailers for this film and the only thing I knew was it apparently Robert Patterson who's the voice of the Heron in the English dub gave like the performance of a lifetime from what I could gather so I'm going to rewatch the movie and see the English dub when I can but for the time being it was the Japanese dub the sub as it goes and that was totally fine it was there's there's there's a certain Beauty in watching you know the original language from the original country that the movie was made in where it's like you I'm a fan of sub stuff I love one punch man sub vastly more than the dub so this film is about uh MTO I'm pretty sure I'm saying his name correctly a little boy living in Japan uh during World War II it's kind of weird cuz I saw Godzilla minus one this past week too I'm like it's just a Japanese kind of week I guess for the theater for me and uh I got to be real it's been refreshing it's nice to be like okay it's not Marvel films I'm watching I'm watching something different I'm watching stuff from Japan that has a lot more it's a bit more compelling which is not a dig at Western entertainment necessarily but I'm like this is a nice pallet cleanser I'm enjoying this this is a change of pace I welcome and you don't get too often but it's about MTO a little boy living in World War II Japan I piece together that his mother at the start by the way spoilers uh she dies in what I assume is like an air raid uh or there was a fire that killed her at this hospital and we don't know if the mother was sick we don't know if she worked at the hospital but she died in the hospital nonetheless and M was really torn up over it as most young boys who are 11 or 10 would be fast forward a few years the war still going on Mito and his father moved to the countryside his father runs a factory where they build like the little like glass uh canopies over the fighter ples for World War II fighters in Japan uh Mao is a he's very stoic he's quiet you can see how he's thinking constantly but he's not talking as much he's a he's a polite young boy uh bows to his Elders which there are a lot of in this movie studio jibli loves their old people when you look at those films he just like all these very wobby Savia looking older people I love that there's a lot of character to them there's a moment where I'm like man that it's like seven or eight old ladies gathered in this house that Miko is moving into and they all remind me of yubaba from Spirited Away one in particular she got this Ward right there so MTO is obviously carrying a lot of weight from the loss of his mother processing it uh makes sense with the original title of the film called how do you live there's this mysterious Tower nearby his home he has a new mother by the way um his father remarried quickly and has a baby on the way quite quickly seemed very just you know very rapid for for the family to lose a and then for another mother to to enter the fry that quickly but hey that's life sometimes and that's interesting it's like for Mito makes you wonder how is he going to react to this to lose his mother to have a new mother to have a little sibling on the way to be in a new home uh and also in typical jibbly fashion to sprinkling some magic where it's like not only is this a world that is new and and scary from a realistic point of view but also like let's time to get some fantasy in there there's this Heron flying around the premise of the new home in the mountain town and the Heron like is eyeing up the boy uh kind of messing with him taunting him trying to like coers him away from the home he's being invited to this this Tower this home that's on the property that's been abandoned apparently it's cursed people who live on the property are like yeah don't don't uh go there there was once this like Grand Uncle of the family who was like really smart and and I guess successful who would build this Tower around a meteor that landed it on the planet like 60 years ago and there's like just questionable things that happened there it's kind of confusing this this film's confusing that's one of the the main critiques about this film I've seen online is how there's moments where it feels like there's everything and nothing happening at the same time uh and it's not as l as you would expect there's there's moments where it makes you go what's happening who's this what's the significance of this scene what does it represent it's a very abstract film that's not a bad thing uh it's it's ethereal it's dreamlike uh because MTO who builds his own bow and arrow out of bamboo and a nail and like using a feather of the Heron goes to confront there and he wants to kill that that and in the process he and an old lady while searching for his mother who when his new stepmother who is missing um they all go to the Tower and get transported to like a different realm of existence um it was confusing uh I I still was wondering like are these events actually happening is is this uh in the the head of the kid or what um oh by the way the kid to kind of paint up the kind of person that he is is uh before these events transpired he went to school got into a fight with another kid got all bruised and bashed and in order to save face to to deny they got into a fight to go rock and he smacked his head and created this massive cut and I feel like like these films you have to be asking yourself questions actively like what was the point of that why would he do that is it his honor is he in denial is he trying to hide something does he want to keep a low profile is it all of that combined good I don't know uh the kids stoic is the word I would use he's a very stoic little guy so go to the dream world and there's like ocean everywhere that's a cool part maybe about Spirit Away where you've got like the islands and it feels kind of isolated I say Island for Spirit Away I don't know technically the geographical like like design or or a manifestation uh of the home the little bath house and and Spirited Away it's again it too is very theal and sometimes you don't have to answer all these questions the the the question just asking questions is an important part of the experience because it makes you feel lost and there's a a beauty in feeling lost and and and wonder um though there was question after question after question I was asking while watching the boy and the her where I'm like where are we exactly as far as like the significance of being here what are the ways of life here they seem not just mysterious but a little confusing uh there's something called like the w w I believe these little floating marshmallow people who are like being fed fish by uh Mito and um oh there's a I did catch this there was um I can't spoilers there was the old lady who went with M though and then a younger lady showed up and I'm like like oh she's wearing the same shirt as that old lady it's her but young now and there's this mystery before they even went to the tower where they're like the folks in the premise are like oh it's um people go missing uh the Stepmother's sister went missing here and then she came back and a year later and she was totally fine it's just you know a dangerous and mysterious place don't don't mess with that you can definitely feel those spiritualistic undertones which I'm always a big fan of when it comes to ji films and their folklore that they they dip from as far as those Wells of of information of story of Adventure and I'm again Japanese folklore is a lot more just I don't know it just feels beautiful and romantic get dangerous and and like oh I'm I'm I'm excited but there's danger and that makes things more exciting MTO is in the second act just kind of getting his bearings the one the one line you know cuz people say it's not linear fortunately it it is enough cuz you know he's looking for his stepmom he wants to get her home he believes she that she's in this realm that he's in and that's the the you know the driving point of the film where is the mother can we get her back and as far as asking like what's what's like the moral of this film cuz at the very end uh throughout the film he meets this little girl who was like I think her name is like Kimmy or something like that she has fire powers in this ethereal world and she it see I saw the fire of her I'm like is that the mom is it the mom you know this the parallel of the mom dying in the fire and this new character is apparently the sister of his stepmother she's also in the fire um has fire powers what does this all mean and it means that it's like there's different realities existing at the same time is what it reveals because ultimately um this feels like a giant like Crossroads for multiverses and timelines where that fire girl who might though becomes friends with that's his mom you know spoiler alert I did say spoilers the start this video so don't hate me for that and also okay from my understanding that means his father married his mother and then married his aunt which I'm like that's a bit unorthodox but technically I guess fine it's a bit taboo but fine and then as far as his Grand Uncle goes he's in the you know the mysterious figure in this building and kind of like the the Puppet Master not in like a nefarious way but there's something about him controlling the world trying to keep it in order trying to keep things you he'll introduce things to this this fictional World of Magic and there's this Tower of like stones of marble he's cut out pieces he has to every day keep it from falling over so I'm like okay the uncle must have been given some mantle Power by this meteor that landed there years ago and has imbued its magic upon him and these different like timelines and doors to different universes it's it's confusing um and not confusing the point of bad cuz not understanding something doesn't mean it's it's that you're stupid uh or that there needs to be something to be understood to be honest sometimes it's just like there's no point um I guess eye of the beholder as far as how you want to make that out cuz I've seen this conversation where folks are talking about media literacy being like you don't understand the boy and the Heron well sounds like you're stupid and it's like no I come now um I I I would say this is a film that is abstract enough that multiple viewings AR I wouldn't I wouldn't oppose it I want to see it again I want to have a different lens of watching the film I I feel that there's multiple movies and experiences where a piece of media it would benefit from you know you taking the time to sift through it and you can gain things from said experiences in different ways I've watched oh God I'm going to get laughed at for bringing this up as an example I've watched Breaking Bad and better call saw multiple times which is a far more linear story compared to the boy and the Heron but there's so much I can pick up every single time where I'm like oh I didn't catch that that's pretty nuan oh that's a pretty cool Easter egg I didn't catch that that moment um same thing with when I watched Dune when I first watched the first dune part one I did not like it I'm like I don't care for this film it just seems so pretentious and the music's too much and I just don't understand this weird Universe it seems kind of full of itself I love Dune now I can't wait for Dune part two and that's because I watched the movie and then I watched it again for the hell of it and then I watched it over and I've watched it like 10 times since then at least and I can't wait for part two I'm I've read the book I even got into Dune Messiah this isn't about Dune what I'm trying to say is I feel like for a film like the boy and the Heron I can't judge it too hard initially cuz I do think it's a film that does require another viewing to really get the full picture however for folks who do watch it only once they're fully entitled to just have their one critique based on that one viewing because that's their prerogative and for a lot of folks they're like it's confusing what's the point what exactly is the story here it feels very cryptic and I think that's that is the point it's supposed to be cryptic it's supposed to be dreamlike and that's not necessarily an automatic defense of quality uh cuz I mean I wouldn't blame the person who is like no I understand the deeper meanings and I wouldn't blame a person who's like nope this isn't my speed it's a little bit confusing cuz there's a part in like the second act where I'm like I can't really follow what's happening here or even the significance of certain things but at the end to bring up full circle I was finally able to piece together the pieces the third act picks up and gets exciting I love the parakeets by the way they're so goofy um I still don't understand the significance of birds in this film and I say that knowing that the Heron is in the title and even then I'm like you know as a character I wasn't crazy about him I I didn't understand why he was like a little man inside the Heron's body if that's supposed to represent his soul if there's some Duality to it uh I I I don't I I at this moment don't know why the Heron was the way it was besides his personality being a bit more of like a just kind of a Jester not Jester but a Menace In some ways but also kind of a guide I know that a heron as an actual bird is a very like dinosaur like bird it will destroy any little animal in its e ecosystem predat graceful um but I don't know maybe in in Japan there's this other you know cultural um lore behind the bird but for me for me at the moment the bird itself the Heron I'm just kind of like yeah you know he was he was fine he was a cool character I think I've seen jibli films with far cooler you know mystical characters that were of interest to me like no face but for this movie I'm like it suffices and again I'm G to give myself the benefit of watching it once more to see how I feel a second time a third time and maybe it will grow on me um the message of the film I heard folks saying it's about nihilism I disagree I I don't see nihilism I believe in nihilism I I I think nihilism is a good thing um in my own personal belief and I respect that of others but more of a the temporary moment of Life how we're only here for you know make the most of it um and and there's no shame in think thinking there's nothing afterwards or then the grand scheme of the universe we don't matter uh teach their own I'm also a big believer in stoicism and in the human Spirit but as far as the ego death that comes from knowing that we aren't the eye of the Universe I think it's important and uh but I don't see that in this film this film to me seems more about grief more about acceptance and cuz M though lost his mother and and this is a story about him accepting that she's gone and moving on or so I to my understanding he meets his mother when she's a kid and she's like I know I die in a fire but I can't wait to live my life and I'm like that's the spirit maybe that's the nihilism to it which even then I wouldn't say is necessarily like existential levels of nihilism just more of a I can't wait to live my life even if it ends in tragedy I can't wait to live it and that's beautiful you know how do you live I I think that's that's a good title to apply to Mito to accept that his mother's gone but now how do you live with having that knowledge and having that burden and having that grief well not to call back to Better Call Saul again but uh there a big point in that mov on that show it's a show not a movie unless it's Al Camino no but uh how there's grief and acceptance is another theme in that show and for one of the characters he talks about how there's a day you wake up uh and you won't think about that tragedy that you feel like defined you before and that you'll go about your mour and you won't think of it and then when you do realize you haven't thought of it that's when you realize that you can learn how to forget and I'm not saying that's necessarily an exact parallel I'm drawing to the boy and the Heron but I can see similarities in my opinion where where it's like Mito was able to accept his mother's gone to let go of that that burden of of guilt or or of of just feeling grief and know that it's okay and that you can move on with your life now the grand uncle and his design of the world I don't know if that's him trying to persist in his creation thinking that you need to be supplanted by a successor or what's the point of having it maybe I can see a bit of that theming of that symbolism uh to also accept that sometimes you won't be supplanted it's just goodbye moving on um I can see that but as far as the visuals go this movie fantastic beautiful uh this is Studio JBL it's what they do best uh they never phoned in with their visuals they always go all out especially the beginning with the fire scenes love the character designs the Heron's such a weird character as far as how they they he's written but visually you know I just uh it's also weird but I enjoy it I I like the creepiness the weirdness there's a again with jibli you always feel like you're in a world of mystery that's not inherently good or inherently evil uh it's there's this ambiguity to there's this ambiguity to uh the creatures and people and and and just characters of these worlds um I I think it's cool it makes me feel like there's they're not as simple as you think and that there's a lot of variety and and possibilities with where these characters can take you so those are just my uh General impressions of the boy and the Heron it's a great film I I would highly recommend checking it out um in a day and age where a lot of movies feel like products to know that J ji still understands how important it is to create art which this is absolutely art I think that's worth supporting on its own Merit so hey for those who saw the boy and the Heron let me know what you think down in the comments and I will see you all next time and I'll keep making videos here on the channel that are again a bit more just me and the camera talking but I'll be back here with scavengers range or scavengers rain I can say the title right uh the blue white Samurai uh Carol and the end of the world I think that's the name of the title of the show there's more I want to talk about so I'll see you all real soon bye

Channel: Sabersteve

Views: 12,927

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Id: pEirIv_woEs

Length: 21min 20sec (1280 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 16 2023