THE BOY AND THE HERON (2023)

He may have retired and had more retirements and comebacks than Sinatra and Elton John combined, but anime guru Hayao Miyazaki rarely (if ever) disappoints and his latest project, which until recently promised to be his swansong, stands as perhaps his most personable and endearing. Inspired by Genzaburō Yoshino’s novel from the thirties, The Boy and the Heron (previously made under the much better title of How Do You Live?) chronicles the development of teenage student under the tutelage of his uncle after the death of his father.

If there is one aspect to Miyazaki-san, whom you will recall is the same master draughtsman behind the fantastical gems My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001), that could be undervalued it is his standing as a dramatist. The Boy and the Heron, thankfully, showcases the anime maestro at his most dramatically potent. As a nostalgic tale of tragedy and trauma and how one deals with such things, The Boy and the Heron is a cathartic experience. It also helps that it’s beautiful to look at, boasting some of the finest fantastical imagery depicted on-screen this year.

But I say all this with one caveat. As much as it might pain one to confess: The Boy and the Heron falls short of being labelled a masterpiece. Many commentators will no doubt claim it to be such but this, I feel, is a gross result of hype and intrigue. A mighty fine film this is, but can it be mentioned in the same breath as Totoro, Mononoke or Spirted Away? No. That being said, even B-tier Miyazaki is infinitely superior to the majority of the other animated claptrap out there.

It remains to be seen where The Boy and the Heron will eventually fall on one’s list of Miyazaki favourites, but whilst I am certain that it will never be near the top there are definitely moments that take one’s breath away. For all its familiarities and flaws, this slow-moving, mature, complex little film speaks volume to the colossal legacy that Miyazaki holds within his field – one which will perhaps never be bested in my lifetime.