Therapist Reacts to MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
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- Опубліковано 13 гру 2021
- How can you navigate change, stress, or sadness? How can you be a good parent as your kids navigate those emotions?
Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright look to the absolutely delightful anime My Neighbor Totoro for some of the answers. This film is in many ways a guidebook for warm, affirming parenting as both the mother and father show love toward their children, and listen to their stories and concerns. For all the surreal and fantastical elements in this movie (like the giant cat bus, the soot sprites, and of course Totoro), it shows pretty realistic relationships between Mei and Satsuki and how they deal with their mother's illness. This movie just feels like wrapping up in a blanket of love and goodness.
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Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright & Alan Seawright
Edited by: Jenna Schaeling
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis
Please PLEASE do something with Howl's Moving Castle. It's my all time favorite Studio Ghibli movie and it has such an amazing message about self acceptance.
"It's like a movie made by children, if they could write brilliant screenplays" is the most concise and accurate description of this movie
I always felt for Satsuki, watching Totoro. She has all the same emotions and anxieties as Mei, but feels like she has to keep the bottled up and keep control for Mei's sake. When she finally lets it all go in the aftermath of Mei's tantrum, you realize what a silent burden this has been for her.
Miyazaki's ability to accurately capture children and how they act is part of why Grave of Fireflies was so gut wrenching.
Me:
I feel like this film is basically a 'slice of life' film, which is sadly rare in Western animation or kids' movies. People too often assume that kids only enjoy noisy, high-action drama but it's not true. Totoro is very immersive and relatable to all ages because it feels like real, heartfelt childhood moments, even the gentle fantasy aspects.
Alan, teary eyed: just a dad, connecting with his kids in a way they understand.
In defence of Satsuki - I don't think in that scene she's trying to 'correct' Mei per se, because that's not her attitude throughout the movie. She's generally very kind and understanding. But she's also just a child, who is also scared about her mother. And at that moment, she doesn't have anyone to turn to, as the father is at work. But she's the 'big sister', and yet again she's got Mei wanting something from her, but at that point, she can barely handle her own fears, let alone deal with Mei's too. It's too much to expect a child to continuously play the role of mother to her younger sibling.
Alan, you are spot on when talking about the magical moments a dad can provide for his kids that will stick with them!
One scene that stands out to me is the moment when the youngest girl leaves flowers along her fathers desk while he’s working - “You be the flower shop, Daddy.”
Something i realize about being Asian and growing up in Asia is that we have a very casual relationship with the supernatural. In a way like ghosts, haunted places and spirits are just part of our daily lives. Whether you believe in it or not. I remember my lecturer in uni even used his home being haunted as an excuse for lack of sleep and being late from class - there are many stories like these. It's funny, it's charming and it's just culture. i lav it.
17:56
This movie was so important to me as a child. I was almost EXACTLY in the same situation as this family. Older sister, mom chronically ill, dad working long hours. I felt seen. I felt hope. I love this movie with all my heart.
The reason why he's called Totoro is because saying "troll" in Japanese would be "to-ro-ru" and Mei, being so little, fumbled it a little into "Totoro"
I love how the adults just…BELIEVE the children. They acknowledge that the spirits are real, and that only young children can see them. It’s so wholesome and affirming and sincere.❤
I think it's less that the dad was 'playing along' but that he's deep in the lore of Shinto spirituality. Regardless, his method of keeping the girls moving and explaining things is definitely meant to foster their imaginations and make them feel heard.
"Slice of life" is a Japanese genre featuring this soft beauty that makes us ask "how is it not boring?" The entire series might be as simple as characters camping, or learning to fish, or making pottery. I really love it!
I'd like to point out that Satsuki's yelling? That wasn't pure rational either. Mei was expressing pain in the only way she as a very young child knew how, but Satsuki's shouting was definitely her breaking under the strain of having to be strong for her sister. Mei wanted to be told everything would be alright, but Satsuki knew that might not be the case. Nobody was there to hold her, and it wasn't fair that she had to be the one to give that strength she didn't actually have in the moment either. It wasn't cruelty, or really even wanting Mei to change her behavior, because it wasn't about Mei. It's just pain and frustration.
I lost my mother in November 2021, and I can relate so much to the scene where Mei is just screaming, "IT'S NOT FAIR!". I just wanted her to be able to come home one more time, so we could make cookies and watch an anime and just be close together one more time, but she never got to leave the hospital. I still have a raging child inside me that wants to scream about how unfair it all is.
Mei wasn't running away from her sister or her problems. She saw her sister cry and worry that her mom really might die. Mei had this look of determination and put the pieces together: mommy might die + my corn will make her feel better = I'd better take this corn to mommy. And that is what she attempted to do before she got lost. It's actually quite logical, even kid-logical.