Adoption Is One Of Many Ways To Become A Parent.
Studio Ghibli and Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s 2014 Japanese animated film When Marnie Was There was made in Japan.
While the film does touch on familial and relationship topics, adoption is not a particular focus but if we dig deeper we find adoption as a topic touched by the movie very smartly and warmly.
“Yesterday’s gone, so has the day before. Don’t let’s waste today arguing about it.”
Although When Marnie Was There isn’t particularly about adoption, it does touch on family, identity, and belonging themes, all of which are prevalent in adoption-related stories.
Audience members who have gone through adoption or other types of familial loss or separation may be able to relate to the movie’s depiction of complex family relationships and the value of feeling a sense of belonging.
| Release Date | July 19, 2014 |
| Voice Cast | Anna Sasaki – Sara Takatsuki (Japanese Cast), Hailee Steinfeld (English Cast) Marnie – Kasumi Arimura (J- Young) Ryoko Moriyama (J- Old), Kiernan Shipka (E- Teenager), Taylor Autumn Bertman (Young), Catherine O’Hara (Old) Sayaka – Hana Sugisaki (J), Ava Acres (E) Hisako – Hitomi Kuroki (J), Vanessa Williams Mila Brener (Young- E) Yoriko Sasaki – Nanako Matsushima (J), Geena Davis (E) Kiyomasa Oiwa – Susumu Terajima (J), John C. Reilly (E) Emily – Renge Ishikawa (J), Ashley Johnson (E) Art Teacher – Hiroyuki Morisaki (TEAM NACS) Doctor Yamashita – Yo Oizumi (J), Bob Bergen (E) Toichi – Ken Yasuda (Team NACKS- J), Fred Tatasciore (E) Nanny – Kazuko Yoshiyuki (J), Ellen Burstyn (E) Setsu Oiwa – Toshie Negishi (J), Grey Griffin (E) Mrs. Kadoya – Kathy Bates (E) |
| Directed By | Hiromasa Yonebayashi |
| Screenplay By | Masashi AndoKeiko NiwaHiromasa Yonebayashi |
| Produced By | Yoshiaki Nishimura |
The film makes a huge impact on our society and if we choose to watch pictures like these we are subconsciously training ourselves to accept that it’s normal to become parents through adoption, it’s just another method as effective as getting pregnant.
“You can write books, but there’s only ever one book that’s really you.”
Plot Line:
The narrative centers on Anna, a little child who is transferred to live with relatives in a tiny seaside town in the hopes that the change of environment may aid in her recovery from depression and asthma.
There, Anna meets Marnie, a strange girl, with whom she strikes up a lifelong bond. Anna learns more about her past as the plot develops, which helps her to comprehend her own family’s history.
When Marnie Was There is a picture worth watching for all the elements like suspense, animation style, detailing, and parenthood, it’s a movie that also discloses the aspirations of a child, a child who later on in their life discovers that they were adopted, it’s a psychological thriller but at the same time, it’s as realistic as the real life of an adopted child.
Anna questions why her foster family adopted her and she also questions their love for her since her family receives a token amount from the government to support her.
In reality, as well as we see it, people struggle to accept that they are adopted. Well, this movie makes it easier and makes sure to put the fact of adoption out to the public.
Also Read: The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
According to our Scopo-Meter, we check the following in this film:
| Category | Out Of 5 |
| INTENT | 5 |
| PLOT | 4 |
| ANIMATION | 5 |
| CLARITY | 3.5 |
| OVERALL | BOMB / GOOD / NICE / FINE / HMM / PATHETIC |
FilmScopes thank the creators of the movie and the writer of the novel, who made it a point to create a protagonist who got a loving family and faces genuine concerns, this novel & movie surely eased a lot of tension surrounding the foster care system.
