#TIFF23: “THE BOY AND THE HERON” REVIEW

By David Baldwin

World War II has broken out and a young boy has moved with his family to the Japanese countryside. He encounters a heron, who is more persistent and radically different than other birds in terms of getting attention. After the heron leads the boy to an abandoned tower, it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems.

THE BOY AND THE HERON, Writer/Director Hayao Miyazaki’s first film in ten years, is a monumental achievement. Much like the beloved Studio Ghibli films that came before it, the film is a sumptuous visual feast that challenges your notions of what is possible within the medium. The staggering level of detail in each scene is magnificent, as are the effects used for water and fire. Suffice to say, it is a work of art that only a master like Miyazaki could make and we have been missing his influence for the last decade. If this is his last film (or second last film as we have been hearing in the past few days), then this culmination of such a rich career would be a good one to go out on.

My gripe, or at least what holds me back from loving THE BOY AND THE HERON rather than just liking it, is where the film goes in its back half. From the jump, it is a beautiful story about love, loss, grief and acceptance, and those themes imbue every frame with sadness and wonder. When the Film hits its Third Act, it throws all of that out and becomes something a bit more unwieldy (read: Miyazaki embracing the strange and metaphysical, alongside many, many parakeets). It feels choppy and unrefined – which is ironic because of how incredible the visuals are – and lost me more than once as it plays out. The breezy running time does not help get the film over the finish line any quicker either.

For Miyazaki fans, that sentiment will not mean as much as it does that the masterful filmmaker has delivered an unexpected, visually stunning gift for the ages. Each frame is a literal work of art and I doubt we will see another film as beautiful as this by the end of the year.

THE BOY AND THE HERON screens at TIFF ’23:

Thursday, September 7 at 6:00 PM at Princess of Wales Theatre

Thursday, September 7 @ 8:00 PM at Roy Thomson Hall

Saturday, September 9 @ 10:30 AM at Roy Thomson Hall

Sunday, September 10 at 12:05 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Friday, September 15 at 8:55 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Saturday, September 16 at 5:50 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

#TIFF23: “THE BOY AND THE HERON” TO OPEN 2023 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

TIFF is thrilled to announce that Studio Ghibli’s long-awaited fantastical epic feature film, The Boy and the Heron, from Academy Award–winning visionary director Hayao Miyazaki, will be the Opening Night Gala Presentation for the 48th Toronto International Film Festival® on Thursday, September 7, at Roy Thomson Hall. The original story was written and directed by the Japanese filmmaker and produced by Oscar®-winning Studio Ghibli, which Miyazaki co-founded.

While several of Studio Ghibli’s films have screened at TIFF, including The Red Turtle (2016), The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2014), The Wind Rises (2013), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), Spirited Away (2002), and Princess Mononoke (1999), this is the first time a Japanese film or an animated film has opened the Festival.

“We are honoured to open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival with the work of one of cinema’s greatest artists,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “Already acclaimed as a masterpiece in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s new film begins as a simple story of loss and love and rises to a staggering work of imagination. I look forward to our audience discovering its mysteries for themselves, but I can promise a singular, transformative experience.”

This announcement comes on the heels of TIFF’s recent showcase and audience favourite, POP Japan, celebrating the convergence of the cult, pulp, and popular in Japanese film and art, in which Miyazaki’s seminal films and most lauded classics, My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, were also featured.

The Boy and the Heron opened to record-breaking success in Japan. The hand-drawn, animated feature — director Miyazaki’s first feature film in 10 years — features a musical score from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi. In an extraordinary break with tradition, Studio Ghibli released the film in Japan without any promotion, marketing materials, or film description, allowing audiences to discover the film for themselves. This screening will be the International Premiere and the first opportunity for audiences outside of Japan to experience the film for themselves. GKIDS is distributing The Boy and the Heron in North America, where it will be released in theatres later in the year.