Only Yesterday [DVD]

"Omohide poro poro" (which translates as "memories of falling teardrops" in english) or "only yesterday" as the west knows it, is a heartwarming coming of age film from studio ghibli, directed by Isao takahata who's best known for his heartbreaking anti-war film "Grave of the fireflies" which most critics hail as a masterpiece and his best work yet. I too shared the same opinion till i saw "only yesterday". It is one of the most realistic and deeply moving film i've ever seen.

"Only yesterday" tells the story of a 27 year old girl Taeko, who takes a 10 days vacation to safflower fields in Japan countryside. On her journey, she recalls the memories of her childhood when she lived with her parents and two elder sisters in a city. Film runs back and forth in time showing taeko's rather painful past as a child and the woman she is today. The most heartwarming and winning moment in the film is the end where Taeko rediscovers herself and reaches a stage where she has to make a choice in life. This sequence is seen as the end credits roll past screen and is undoubtedly one of the finest scenes not just in an animated film but in any film, for that matter.

Isao takahata's movies have always portrayed the harsh realities of life, be it "grave of the fireflies", "my neighbors the yamadas", "pom poko" or "only yesterday". With "only yesterday", Takahata succeeds in taking the audience where no other animator has gone before. "Only yesterday" is a slow paced film which runs in real time, doing justice to the plot and storyline. There are long conversations and quite a few slow moments in the film but they add to the beauty and realism of the subject without dragging the movie. There are moments where film talks about adulthood and few other mature themes from a child's point of view without being crude or vulgar. Anyone who thinks animation was always meant for kids will be blown away by "only yesterday". It is hard to describe in words the richness and emotional depth this movie has.

The animation of the film is detailed and looks absolutely realistic and flawless. It is impossible to erase from mind all those breathtakingly beautiful images of safflower fields wrapped in a blanket of morning mist, shown in the movie. The faded watercolor wash look in all the flashback shots is breathtaking and will haunt you long after the film is over.

The beauty of studio ghibli films lie in their simplicity. They talk about life without being sugary sweet or made up. Ghibli directors, be it the legend, Hayao miyazaki, the genious Isao takahata or anyone else, they've always believed in themselves and their own projects. They have never followed "once upon a time fairy tale" kind of a set pattern or formula for their animated films and that's what make these guys and their movies versatile and worthwhile, not just for kids but for grown ups as well.

"Only yesterday" is a must have not just for any Ghibli-fan but for anyone looking for meaningful cinema, as well.

This film surprised me in a lot of ways. For some reason I hadn't set my expectations particularly high for this film, perhaps because the description suggested something quite low-key for Studio Ghibli, even despondent as it explored the life of a single, twenty-something girl living in Japan, but I needn't have worried in the slightest. This film is INCREDIBLE. I dare risk saying (despite loving `Howl's Moving Castle') that `Only Yesterday' would have to be my favourite Studio Ghibli film, or at the very least the one I've found the most rewarding.

The short clips I'd seen in the Ghibli catalogue trailers suggested to me this was something of a curiosity, an experiment for the studio that was never repeated. But this film has huge universal appeal, I'm surprised something similarly grounded and character-based hasn't been made since. *Although `Whisper of the Heart' is along the same lines, but to me doesn't succeed anywhere near as well as `Only Yesterday' in terms of character and relatable themes. The central character is female, I'm male, she grew up in the 1960's in Japan, I grew up in the 1990's in England...two people couldn't be more dissimilar, right? Well I was astounded by how much I identified with Taeko's character (ok, not her friends' P.E. problem I admit, but everything else...school life, family life, successes, failures, loves, losses, disaffectedness etc etc). So I reason her story must be universal considering how much I empathised with her and I was totally gripped from start to finish!

I've never seen a film that has encapsulated so perfectly what it means to grow old, but not necessarily to grow up, to mature, but still long for days gone by, to find yourself at a crossroads in life, but have no idea the best course to follow as well as `Only Yesterday'. And it achieves all this with so much humour along the way too, I was hehe-ing to myself almost as often as I was open-mouthed in recognition of so many familiar coming of age moments. Don't allow the subtitles or the occasional uses of water colour backgrounds (that may appear unfinished to your eyes to begin with) to deter you from watching this film- they're part of its incredible charm and you won't be disappointed by the over-all result. An incredible film. Heartily recommended.

Only Yesterday is two stories of one character. The present day (80s, when the film is set) life of office worker Taeko taking a vacation picking safflower in the Japanese countryside, and then the other story of her childhood, told via flashback. It's very emotional, just like Whisper of the Heart, in the way that it takes you back to childhood and somehow makes you understand these characters' lives, even though they are from another culture and time. During her vacation, Taeko feels a sense of greater belonging and develops strong attachments to the people she is living with, to the point that you know she won't want to leave and go back to the office life.

There's a lot of discussion about life in the country, in the context of 80s Japan, tackling organic farming, the history of safflower harvesting and Japan's obsession with construction. Ghibli's rural Japan is beautiful and Only Yesterday is so cleverly constructed that although I'm not Japanese, although I was born in the 80s, rather than lived in them, I still can relate to what is shown and feel such a strong sense of familiarity.

It's a story about love, coming of age, enjoying the countryside and understanding how people are different. Hugely worth watching.