My review is spoiler-free!
There are deeds and thoughts that are unequivocally evil, and purely loving, yet to believe that someone is wholly evil or entirely good is to have faith in naivety. The consequences of idolizing or demonizing anyone is a masterfully woven theme in Princess Mononoke; Seeing anyone as an embodiment of flawless morality dehumanizes others, while looking upon anyone as evil personified makes one's own flaws invisible to oneself. For a non-spoilerific example from the film, one can uplift souls who are left to rot (or be used by society), while killing souls that are outside of one's tribe, in an effort to gain more resources to save lives within one's community (this fearful mindset is also a driver of greed). Likewise, individuals from the opposing side can attempt to wipe out every single soul in the other community (or even solely murder the other tribe's leader for retribution, or a preemptive measure, rather than kill in honest defense), whether for a justice-masquerading justice or a traumatized reaction to survive. The irony is that community members can perceive the other as the aggressors. An infliction of trauma generates trauma, until hatred is replaced with love. The filmmakers' message for healing is not a trite one. Love is more than a feeling and it can exist without it. Princess Mononoke's cry for nature and humans to co-exist is meant to be taken literally, but it is also symbolic for all of us in the world to take care of one another, to see one another as more than behaviors personified, to treat lives within and beyond our communities as sacred even as we don't neglect justice, since love cannot exist without it. ~ ~ ~ ★ Film Details ★ Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki Screenplay by: Hayao Miyazaki Genre: Historical Fantasy Release Year: 1997 ~ ~ ~ My other Studio Ghibli film reviews:
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