Whisper of the Heart: Movie Review

Yes, I promise a post about AI and why it won't take over the world anytime soon. However, over the labor day weekend, I took the time to watch a movie, and the film is so fresh in my mind that I just have to create a blog post about it.

I’ve seen my fair share of movies: kids movies, action movies, romance movies, and suspense movies- yet one group of filmmakers never fails to rank at the top of my personal list of movies: Studio Ghibli.

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio that has expanded its movies far beyond its home country. The creators of classics such as My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, Studio Ghibli often focuses on the simplicity and specialty of youth, romanticizing the routine in the mundanity of everyday life.

I need not say more about its Oscar-winning films, and won’t write about the popular movies in today’s blog post. Instead, I want to draw attention to Whisper of the Heart, a widely underrated, coming-of-age-film disguised as a sweet romance, with powerful themes of mature introspection.

In Whisper of the Heart, a bookworm girl, Shizuku sets to find a boy, who has coincidentally checked out all the books she reads before her. Through a cat on a subway train (the cat was the highlight of the film), she realizes the library book boy is Seiji, a student at her school, and the two become close. Soon after the two become friends, he tells her he’s going to Italy for an apprenticeship, to achieve his dream of becoming a violin maker.

Seiji telling Shizuku what he wants to do with his future was one of the most revolutionary parts of the film; but what made it even more memorable was that it wasn't. It wasn't memorable. He tells her he's going to leave, and beyond the disappointment of not having to see him, Shizuku doesn't think much of it.

However, Seiji's departure doesn't hold so much value because it proved how much to the two liked each other, instead, it made Shizuku self-sonscious. Seiji was leaving to Italy because he knew: he knew what he wanted to do with his future, he knew he didn't want to attend high school, and he knew he wanted to make violins instead. Shizuku realized that she didn't have a dream. If asked where she would be in four years, Shizuku's mind would go blank. She knew she had no goal in life, but Seiji's clear plans for his future propelled Shizuku into a stressful search for her goals.

After Seiji leaves, Shizuku puts her studies and exams on the backburner to finish her passion project: writing a book. She's been interested in writing and figured completing this project will allow her to discover herself. She shows the book to Seiji’s grandfather, who says it’s unpolished like Seiji’s violin, but she has talent nonetheless. After two months, Shizuku meets Seiji when he finally returns, and the two discuss their past and future. Shizuku says pressuring herself to write the book was worth it, because she now knows what she wants to do in the future (attend school, read more, become an accomplished writer following her education). Seiji says his apprenticeship in Italy was a good experience, and he’ll be back there to become a professional violin maker. He asks her to marry him in the future, confessing his love for her in the final scene.

While the lighthearted chemistry (really, love is too strong a word) between Seiji and Shizuku is sure to warm viewer’s hearts, the true poignancy in this film from nearly two decades ago is the thoughtfulness in Shizuku’s journey to learn more about herself. She’s disheartened by the fact that Seiji knows exactly what he wants to do with his future and she doesn't. She’s confused, and the suffocating atmosphere at home, with her busy parents and harsh sister, only serves to increase the tension and doubt in her life. She doesn’t know what to do with her life, while the person who means the most to her, does, which tumults her into serious self-analysis. Her pensive pondering, meaningful musing, and stressful self-reflection, channeled through her book, which eventually lead to her realizing what she wants to do (become a writer following high school), is the true whispering of the heart in this fantastic film.