CW: gender/transgender issues, sexuality/queerness, race, indirect abuse reference, families, erasure

It's so easy to feel like you don't have a family. One small thing, one small moment, can rupture bonds that we're told hold tighter and stronger than any other. Family is so fragile, because the promise inherent in every story told about families is so profound. Anything can shatter that impossible illusion. It can be the perception that your mother is being paid to have you, or it can be the way your father yelled that one time, or it can be... worse things. For queer or trans kids, of course, all other things being equal, family tends to be even more fragile than for straight and cisgender kids.…

I saw When Marnie Was There this morning. By evening I was on my way to the theater to see it again. That's a first for me.

It wasn't just that my local cinema provided both dubbed and subtitled screenings. Sure, I wanted to see both versions. But more than that, I wanted to return to the world of this movie because it stirred some deep nerve cluster that connected my childhood to my adulthood. That's a quality that I've found time and time again in Studio Ghibli's films.

I hope this isn't their last. I really do. But if it is, as sad as that is, I'll remain grateful for this last flare of color, motion, sound, and the…

Thematically and artistically beautiful, When Marnie Was There was the perfect watch on a summer afternoon. 

It’s story is simple yet intriguing with bright visuals that borrow from many of Ghibli’s past great works and sympathetic characters who feel real.

I’d been meaning to watch this for 6 years but never got around to. Having been recommended this recently, I decided to finally give it a shot and was pleasantly surprised.

When Marnie Was There is a story of two girls, one who is alone and one who is neglected. Anna crosses paths with Marnie and this experience changes her in many ways.

Their individual struggles, feelings of loneliness and neglect, were portrayed realistically and by the end the protagonist…

Have you ever been unhappy with everyone and yourself but don’t know why? Alone because you either hurt the ones who come close or because you choose it to be that way. Nothing they do upsets you, you’re just upset with the world around you. You feel just there, not depressed, not happy. There like a tree. You feel like crying because you don’t whose fault it is. It can’t be anyone else’s. Something has to be wrong with you. So you end up hating who you are. No one listens to you, no one hears you, but you hardly share anyways. You’ve usually been comfortable with who you are, you’re on the outside, solitaire But today the sting is…

What an incredibly beautiful movie about friendship, loneliness, love, and family with a powerful and emotional ending. I expected a whimsical and wholesome film about fantasy and the connection between two young girls, and was handed all that and more—a stunning story about love across decades and generations, and the healing power of embracing the adoration and care people give you, even when you feel you don’t deserve it. 10/10 in my Movies That Made Me Ugly Cry book.

[SPOILERS COMING UP]

The only thing that took me out of the movie the slightest bit was my original interpretation of the story, which I’m trying to keep extremely vague for sake of ~spoilers~. But truthfully, even though it wasn’t what…

'When Marnie Was There' is one of the most mature animated films to come from Studio Ghibli. The subject matter deals with depression in the pre-teen age.

Anna is an introverted orphan who feels a great loss due to her unknown past. She's instantly connectable through her positive qualities she keeps to herself.

Over the course of this absorbing drama, her newfound friend named Marnie brings out the best in her.

Marnie, as we come to fine out, has more in common with Anna's personal anguish. The love which grows between them is really heartfelt. It's through their friendship that Anna truly comes to appreciate her self-worth and finds what she can offer to others.

Having already invested in this…