My review is spoiler-free!
Though I wasn't alive during 1963, nor have I yet set foot anywhere in Japan, a sense of nostalgia rapidly blossomed within me when I watched From Up on Poppy Hill. Like the best period films that install a sense of wistfulness for a bygone era, this movie features songs from that time, a warm color palette, and adventurous optimism that plows into tribulations; those elements help make audience members who are outside of a narrative's time to yearn a visit there, as they feel a connection to the story through their own nostalgia. Now a misconception about optimistic people is that they're a perpetually cheery bunch, who are ignorant of the gravity of threatening situations and immunized against grief. Yet optimism can be a ferociously challenging perspective to maintain; It is not an easy mindset to fall into, and it isn't reliant on bliss; One can be optimistic even as they feel like they're drowning in despair. Optimism is a refusal to remain down when one gets knocked over. It is acknowledging the severity of problems while discovering the best in situations; It is strategizing on how to be triumphant for oneself and others. The main characters in From Up on Poppy Hill practiced optimism when they advocated against their historic clubhouse's demolition. ~ ~ ~ There's a scene where one debate team wanted to keep their historic clubhouse (a place they shared with the other team), while the other side wanted it to be replaced. A broader issue was soon revealed: one side didn't want to throw out all traditions because one shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater (as the saying goes) and one can't really progress without remembering the past. Meanwhile, the other team wanted to throw historic traditions out in the name of progress. This scene shows us that the debate teams desired the same goal: how to sufficiently progress (even when they disagreed on the matter of preserving their clubhouse). Likewise, some of us share the same political goals (if not the same methods) even if we see ourselves as politically opposed. A character in the debate scene also lashed out by calling an opponent who wanted to keep their historic clubhouse (a representation of holding on to some traditions for the sake of progress) an anarchist. This moment shows us that political labels can be unintentionally misapplied in a hilarious manner. ~ ~ ~ ★ Film Details ★ Directed by: Goro Miyazaki Screenplay by: Hayao Miyazaki & Keiko Niwa Based on: Coquelicot-zaka kara by Tetsurō Sayama & Chizuru Takahashi Genre: Drama Release Year: 2011 ~ ~ ~ My other Studio Ghibli film reviews:
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