I watched this film with my eleven year old (at her request), and read some reviews before starting to have an idea what I was in for. By the end of the film I was actually wondering if the other reviewers had seen something else instead? This was an incredible story!
Firstly the characters. Yes, they are flawed, but flawed in the way people really are. I didn't find Earwig un likeable at all, and definitely not a psychopath as another reviewer suggested. She cared for others, just in her own way, and without a lot of outward affection which is usually demanded from girls. This was a cast full of complex characters that simply weren't tropes or stereotypes.
The ending also didn't seem abrupt or unfinished to me. If you pay attention to the personal development Earwig and her companions are going through, it has an ending which is very satisfying, but naturally doesn't tie up everything because, well, that's just not how life works. Our lives don't just reach stopping points where every question and problem we have suddenly resolves.
This was a gorgeous, nuanced film that both me and my daughter adored and I'm sure will come back to. Real Ghibli magic and unique storytelling which is so rare these days.
Firstly the characters. Yes, they are flawed, but flawed in the way people really are. I didn't find Earwig un likeable at all, and definitely not a psychopath as another reviewer suggested. She cared for others, just in her own way, and without a lot of outward affection which is usually demanded from girls. This was a cast full of complex characters that simply weren't tropes or stereotypes.
The ending also didn't seem abrupt or unfinished to me. If you pay attention to the personal development Earwig and her companions are going through, it has an ending which is very satisfying, but naturally doesn't tie up everything because, well, that's just not how life works. Our lives don't just reach stopping points where every question and problem we have suddenly resolves.
This was a gorgeous, nuanced film that both me and my daughter adored and I'm sure will come back to. Real Ghibli magic and unique storytelling which is so rare these days.