How do you write about "How Do You Live"?

On Hayao Miyazaki's latest film (no spoilers!)

One of the privileges of being in Tokyo this summer, aside from generous childcare and delicious food, was being able to see Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, How Do You Live? on the day it was released. Other than the titular book (which I reviewed for The Japan Times last year), the film was shrouded in mystery. A trailer was never released, and the poster revealed a single bird, seemingly with two sets of eyes.

I had not intended on watching this, especially on the release date, but I knew that I wouldn’t have another opportunity to watch a film by myself in Tokyo before having to return to Nashville. I was miraculously able to purchase a ticket through my smartphone and rush to a nearby theater in time, immediately after dropping off my son at his day camp. The theater was packed. Most of us were still masked (a cultural practice that will likely remain even post-Covid), and I’m guessing the age range was between 20 - 60, with more men than women, and more older people (perhaps because it was a Friday morning). It seemed that most of the people had come alone. Without any chatter before or after, it was difficult to gauge everyone’s reactions.

I won’t give any spoilers, but one thing I’ll say is that Miyazaki fans will rejoice in numerous “Easter Egg” type references to his previous beloved films, whether it’s My Neighbor Totoro, The Wind Rises, Princess Mononoke, The Castle in the Sky, or Howl’s Moving Castle. Sometimes, the parallels were merely visual, lasting a split second. Other times, the parallels were more thematic or ideological. (See my “Bingo” below.)

Even while watching the film, I dreaded what critics will say. Already, I have a feeling this film will be met with many negative criticisms, especially when it gets distributed overseas. While there are some parallels to his other works, the story arc of this one feels messier, perhaps too ambitious for one feature film. Some of the visuals even veer on the grotesque.

As an audience member who has consumed Miyazaki’s other works since childhood, I am able to put aside these possible criticisms and accept this film as the result of an artist who has earned the right to make whatever he wants. There is something deeply satisfying about watching something made today by an artist of his experience and achievement, similar to the feeling of reading a new novel by a writer who has already published numerous bestsellers. In other words, there’s nothing these artists need to prove anymore; their livelihood and legacy are already secured (as long as they don’t get cancelled). They can finally make the art that (perhaps) they have always wanted to make.

All in all, I enjoyed this film, even while I’ll still rate Totoro and Kiki higher in my personal ranking of Ghibli films. After all, Totoro got me through both childhood and pandemic parenthood. I would happily re-watch How Do You Live again when it’s released in the States (though not with my kids, since they might get scared).

Miyazaki has announced that this will be his last film, though he has said the same thing after Ponyo and again after The Wind Rises. Who knows, maybe he’ll contradict himself again and make another one—but given the retrospective nature and (what I perceived as) boldness of How Do You Live, I predict that this will indeed be his very last work.

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What I’m reading: Annie Ernaux’s Happening. It’s slim enough to carry around in my bag as I commute with my son on multiple trains and buses every day. I’m enjoying her autofiction style, raw honesty, and the way she writes about passion.

What I’m watching: Another film I truly enjoyed (prior to the Tokyo trip) was Past Lives. I cried so hard at the end and continued to cry hours later when I recalled certain scenes. All three actors were phenomenal. The story tug at my personal heartstrings given my experience with long-distance relationships, choosing to live away from home, and being someone of a similar age as the protagonist. (I have never seen 2010s technology represented so authentically before, the way it was both revolutionary and still so slow, even in the moment.)

What I’m listening to: I wish my answer to this were cooler than this, but here it goes. Did I tell you how much my children are obsessed with Star Wars? (In typical sibling fashion, Hal plays Luke, Ray plays Darth Vader.) I found a Star Wars inspired Lofi playlist and it’s the only thing keeping our family sane at the end of each day.