REVIEW: When Marnie Was There (2014)

Anime

Based on a novel by English author Joan G. Robinson, When Marnie Was There was Studio Ghibli’s last movie until Earwig and the Witch. The film was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who also directed The Secret World of Arrietty for the studio. This is the rare Studio Ghibli movie I’ve never seen or even heard much about. I had to double-check that When Marnie Was There was, in fact, a Studio Ghibli movie; I had thought it might just be a movie aesthetically in keeping with the studio, like Miss Hokusai or Mary and the Witch’s Flower. For the most part, When Marnie Was There is a straightforward, realistic departure from Ghibli’s usual whimsical storylines. There is one mysterious character that could be interpreted as something otherworldly, though. Let’s take a look.

12-year-old Anna Sasaki (Hailee Steinfeld) keeps her foster parents at arm’s length, never telling her mother (Geena Davis) how she feels or what she needs. When her asthma flares up, Anna is sent to stay with relatives (John C. Reilly, Grey DeLisle) in the countryside to rest and get well. Anna, surprisingly, loves the place, becoming especially enamored with a nearby house on the marshes. At first, Anna visits the mansion just to sketch it, but she soon begins to see a mysterious figure in the windows. Anna gets to know her as Marnie (Kiernan Shipka), a lonely but vivacious young girl, and the two make fast friends. As Anna struggles to keep Marnie a secret and avoid social interactions with anyone else in town, she discovers that her new friend is more than she appears.

When Marnie Was There continues Studio Ghibli’s tradition of securing outstanding English casts for its dubs. Hailee Steinfeld voices Anna against Kiernan Shipka’s (Legend of Korra, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) Marnie. Geena Davis voices Anna’s foster mother, Yoriko, and that really surprised me. I love Geena Davis, and I don’t recall seeing her name in the credits of anything for years. John C. Reilly and Grey DeLisle voice the Oiwas, Anna’s relatives whom she stays with over the summer. Vanessa Williams, Kathy Bates, Catherine O’Hara, and Ellen Burstyn round out the well-known names, but this film doesn’t skimp on employing seasoned voice actors like DeLisle, Shipka, and Fred Tatasciore either.

The first thing that struck me about When Marnie Was There was Anna. She’s extremely unlikable and makes things difficult for her mother, as well as refusing even to attempt to get along with the girls in the town where she’s staying. Anna repeats that she hates herself a couple of times throughout the movie, usually citing her behavior as to why. This is uncomfortably relatable for me because I feel the exact same way; I hate you, too, Anna!

In all seriousness, I think a lot of people, and particularly young women and girls, struggle with self-loathing. I commend the filmmakers (and Joan G. Robinson if this is an aspect that comes from the book) for being so honest about something so unsettling. Anna clearly struggles with mental health as well as physical health. I have to admit, though, that this failed to make Anna a sympathetic character. Her feelings make sense, but the way she acts is inexcusable. When they reveal the real reason she treats her mother so badly, it comes off as stupid and childish. Anna is a child, so that aspect makes sense, but it’s infuriating. She whines that she envies Marnie and wishes she were her instead, even though she has a loving family who provides for all her needs. Her mother even tries to understand how she’s feeling and help, but Anna just shuts down. I find this even more disturbing once it becomes clear exactly what Marnie is living through. Anna longs for her idealized vision of Marnie’s life, but Marnie lives a much sadder, lonelier existence than she does. The reason for Anna’s disdain toward her parents doesn’t justify this in the slightest. This girl is a brat, and no mental illness or inner turmoil or whatever makes that okay. I actually feel sorry for Anna’s parents, the Oiwas, and the little girl she calls a “fat pig” for trying to make friends with her.

There’s also an aspect of this story that I found quite bewildering, and that’s the relationship between Anna and Marnie and how it develops. It becomes clear pretty early on that there’s something mystical at work with Marnie. Her friendship with Anna seems nothing short of magical, literally and in terms of sparks flying. I’m not usually one to say this about child characters especially, but come on. These two are treated like they’re falling in love, or the adolescent equivalent. Marnie teaching Anna how to row, their dance sequence (and Anna’s subsequent jealousy when Marnie dances with a boy), and their physical closeness and touchy nature indicate this. As the movie played out, I thought that seemed really weird for characters this young. Not because of their gender but because of their age, this creeped me out significantly. Matters are significantly worsened when Anna and the viewer learn the truth about Marnie. Marnie is a ghost, an apparition of Anna’s deceased grandmother’s childhood self. Yuck. I can only assume the characters behave in this way because the book was written in the 60s, a more innocent time regarding portrayals of sexuality. Or perhaps the film being produced in Japan led to cultural differences. Do straight female friends cuddle, claim to be one another’s “precious secret,” and dance like this in Japan? I don’t know, but I’m bothered. This movie made me uncomfortable, and when I went to look up these two characters, this was a popular search, so I must not be alone.

When Marnie Was There is a visually stunning film with a soaring musical score in keeping with Studio Ghibli’s reputation. However, I can’t say I liked the characters, and the central “friendship” really grossed me out. I can’t fathom how this was meant as a harmless, wholesome friendship between two adolescent girls. Anna clearly needs therapy, and so will you after watching this movie.