Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Getting caught in the narrative :: Spirited Away
I've been rewatching Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) with my low media class. This class highlighted several important elements within the introduction, some of which I hadn't seen before and that I'd like to share with you.
The film opens with a young girl, Chihiro, in the back seat of a car. Her parents are in the front and we quickly discover they are moving town. Chihiro whines and complains about this and that. She's portrayed as a "lazy, spoiled crybaby with no manners."
Because of her dad's brashness the family gets lost (almost crashing the car too). Mum and Dad get out to explore. Chihiro's personality is reinforced: a scared, powerless whinger. Her parents are seen to be selfish and care little about her feelings - perhaps they have become numb to the brat they have created.
Dad is certain they have found an abandoned theme park. In search of lunch they cross an artificial riverbed and enter an empty village. Food, previously scented, is located and, although no-one it minding the restaurant, mum and dad plough into the food.
Distraught, Chihiro runs off only to find a mysterious boy who warns her to leave the village immediately. She runs back to her parents finding they have turned into pigs. Teary and terrified, Chihiro flees the village until she plunges into the river and is forced to turn back.
The audience is invited, through this introduction, to view the world as Chihiro sees it. The riverbed and village operate as metaphors for journeying into her psyche, "putting on" her experiences.
We are warned to turn away -- a distraction is created -- but we hesitate: "What's up with him?" Already we have associated ourselves with this precocious little princess. By the time we have reached the parents it is too late. We are seeing them through the eyes of Chihiro's subconscious: pigs. Dark shadows hunt the streets of Chihiro's mind...this isn't a dream, we are caught within the child's nightmare.
Understanding the danger we run, hysterious, from the vision. We flee the village only to be pulled up short by the mysterious rising of the waters. Like Chihiro, we are caught.
The audience has been successfully trapped by a master director. Along with Chihiro we must save our parents (go through the hard tasks of forgiveness and re-imaging) and grow up during the process.
