When Marnie Was There

A beautiful and mysterious drama from the masters of anime Studio Ghibli, based on the classic novel When Marnie Was There by Joan G. Robinson!
12-year-old Anna struggle with asthma and social difficulties. Something gnaws at her, an inner turmoil which affects both her life at school and at home, where she lives with her kind but rather frail aunt Yoriko. Anna knows Yoriko is not her mother, but assumes that they are at least related. Anna's origin is nevertheless a non-issue...
Anna suffers a panic-related asthma attack in front of her classmates. The doctor recommends that she should leave the city for a while – fresh sea air ought to help. Yoriko sends her to their distant relatives in the coastal city of Kushiro and it is there, in this seemingly unfamiliar place, that Marnie finds out who she really is.

Upon arrival in Kushiro Anna spots a large and beautiful manorial house in the waterfront just across the bay. There is something special about the house. She sneaks out one night and rows over. In the house she meets Marnie, whose wealthy parents are either out on long journeys or hosting decadent house parties. Anna and Marnie are a perfect match. The two lonely souls with different social backgrounds come together extremely well. They complement each other – the creative and withdrawn Anna, the high-spirited and social Marnie.
The next day Anna goes back. But why is the mansion now empty, as if no one has lived there for many decades? Where is Marnie? Was it all a dream? There was something strange about their meeting, something unreal. The mystery escalates and Anna discovers more about herself in the process. And although the house at times seems abandoned, it will not be the last time she meets Marnie...

It seems that When Marnie Was There might be the last film from Studio Ghibli. Fortunately, this is a worthy conclusion that manages to stand out from the rest of the studio's filmography. There is a maturity here with the film resorting less to the elements of fantasy to which we are otherwise accustomed. The mystery is more psychological in nature. The result is a beautiful film that quivers with both melancholy and excitement.

Hiromasa Yonebayashi (b. 1973) is a Japanese animator, director and screenwriter who has worked mostly with Studio Ghibli. He has also directed The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) and contributed as an animator in Ghibli classics such as Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004).

(Translation credit: Adrienne Seet)