The day numbers at the top of each post are a little misleading. They're more like script numbers, not numbers of consecutive days. But oh well. BTW, this blog post might be a little long because I'm fascinated by how awesome this movie is and I need to talk about it.
Spirited Away
Hayao Miyazaki, 2001So, I'll admit, I couldn't actually find a screenplay for this. Perhaps I could if I did a little more digging, but I'm lazy. I watched the movie last night for the 100th time, and for the first time it occurred to me what this movie is actually about. The difference is that this time I watched it through the eyes of a storyteller, so I could spot all the things that made it so moving to me as a child.
Armature: Growing up takes inner strength. Or, independence comes from strength of the self. Or, selflessness gives power. Or maybe, We are all the same. (Which is the Golden Theme, by the way).
This is a difficult armature to summarize because I don't think it can be explained in just a sentence. There are various themes going on that all support the same idea, and I'm having trouble synthesizing them in my head. Perhaps I just need to sort out my thoughts first.
The 7 steps:
1. Once upon a time, the whiny, selfish Chihiro was forced to move to a new town.
2. And every day she depended on other people and complained about her situation.
3. Until one day, Chihiro's parents are taken from her and she is trapped by the evil witch Yubaba in a magic bathhouse for spirits.
4. Because of this, Chihiro is treated badly by the other workers but manages to single-handedly help out a troubled river spirit when put on the spot.
5. Because of this, Chihiro is pursued by the evil monster No-Face who feeds on the desires of others, but she faces him down and refuses his offering of wealth.
6. Until finally, Chihiro journeys away from the bathhouse to save her dear friend, and rescues her parents by correctly answering Yubaba's final challenge in an unusual way that requires strong will.
7. And ever since that day, Chihiro has had the strength to face her new life in a new town.
These steps are also a bit difficult to pin down, because just so many things happen in this movie. I don't think my skills as a storyteller are quite strong enough yet to be able to simplify it all. Well, anyway, that was a nice exercise, but here's what I really DO understand about this movie:
Chihiro begins as a weak character with little will and a lot of selfishness. She whines about moving to a new town, she whines about visiting the bathhouse town, and she's even too scared to wait by the car like she wants. But when she leaves, she is selfless, strong-willed, and in control of her own identity. Chihiro's transformation from a child into an adult is seamless and brilliant, and happens before the viewer even knows it, because the spirit world she gets trapped in is the perfect scenario to orchestrate this change.
Several things about this spirit world are thematically brilliant:
1. Yubaba is a witch who steals people's names. This is essentially equivalent to stealing their identities. People in this world can only leave when they remember their names, which is symbolic of their control over themselves. When Yubaba has their names they forget about their previous life and succumb to her rule, but when they remember they are able to leave. Chihiro forgets about her name even the morning after she loses it, symbolizing her inability to have control over herself. But at the end of the movie she proudly declares it to Zeniba, who remarks that it's a pretty name.
2. No-Face is a monster who has neither a face nor a name. He feeds off the identities of others, growing larger as he consumes people, and taking their body characteristics and voices. No-Face also sucks people in by feeding on their selfishness: he offers them gold (which turns out to be fake), and generally gives gifts to gain himself favor (like giving Chihiro all those bath tokens). He has no purpose and no sense of identity. Chihiro is able to conquer him by being selfless instead of selfish--she cares more about Haku than about a personal desire for gold.
3. Everyone in this story is selfish. All the workers look after themselves and rudely refuse the requests of other people. They all desire the gold that No-Face gives out. Chihiro's parents are punished because they selfishly eat food that is not theirs. Yubaba is primarily concerned with money, and even selfishly keeps her baby in a little room. It is the selfless characters who help Chihiro grow: Haku, Lin, Kamaji, Zeniba.
4. Chihiro gains followers in the people she stands up to. The baby is turned into a mouse that follows her around, and No-Face even comes with her to Swamp Bottom. Because Chihiro stood up to them and showed them her selflessness and strength of will, they followed her. Eventually they find identities for themselves, too: No-Face stays with Zeniba as a helper, and the baby stands up to his controlling mother. This is the biggest sign of Chihiro's transformation. She doesn't depend on other people anymore, other people depend on her.
5. Yubaba's final challenge requires Chihiro to identify her parents, who are not actually present. A weak-willed person might be confused and randomly pick something. Only a strong-willed person could have the resolution to know that her parents are not present. This final test is not even necessary, because by this time Chihiro has already defeated No-Face and gained the favor of everyone in the bathhouse. It does, however, show her change.
All these ideas contribute to the armature of "strength comes from within," or something like that. How do you put this transformation into a simple sentence? I still don't know. "Selflessness comes from strong will?"
Anyway. Now that I understand the change that happens in this movie, I appreciate it a whole lot more than before. Chihiro takes control of her name and her identity, shows an incredibly strong heart by standing up to overwhelming danger, and then focuses on saving another person instead of worrying about herself. This is an amazing coming-of-age story that actually has something concrete to say.
Miyazaki is a pretty brilliant storyteller.
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