News & Notes — Classic Studio Ghibli Film Only Yesterday Not To Be Missed!
The latest Studio Ghibli release, Isao Takahata’s Only Yesterday is not brand new, but feels that way. Originally released in 1991, but having never garnered an official US release until now, Only Yesterday is the type of personal story that you would find in a live action film. Takahata, who most recently was nominated for an Oscar for his film The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya (2013) and is perhaps most known for the gut-wrenchingly emotional Grave of the Fireflies (1988), delivers a personal coming-of-age tale that is often poignant and offers a peak into the culture of Japan in the early 90s as well as the 1960s in flashbacks from the main character Taeko’s childhood.
The animation is lush – exquisitely hand rendered cell animation that draws (no pun intended) the viewer into the story. This is part of the magic of Studio Ghibli – if you haven’t experienced this on the big screen, it’s the ideal way to! In fact, this screening is a perfect example of why The Film Society presents films theatrically every month at Main Street Landing – films like Only Yesterday deserve the immersive experience that only cinema provides.
Too often, animation isn’t given the same dues as a live action drama, or is relegated to “kiddy” fare at the multiplex. This is the third Studio Ghibli film that we’ve had the pleasure of presenting locally (When Marnie Was There in 2015 and From Up On Poppy Hill in 2013) and response has been very positive. Only Yesterday makes a case for animation in the best way possible – presenting a story that is layered and rich without relying on the trappings of mass-market product driven animation. There’s no anthropomorphic characters or magic, just moving, personal stories.
A note about this screening – we chose to present the new English language version of the film, featuring voice work from Daisy Ridley and Dev Patel (purists will be upset about this decision, preferring the Japanese language version). The English version allows us to widen our audience – perhaps bringing in folks that may not be interested in subtitled films, as well as a younger audience who is not quite able to read as fast as needed. I hope that Only Yesterday delivers something that is enjoyable to Studio Ghibli fans like myself and brings a new audience into the theater, who perhaps didn’t realize all the possibilities that animation can offer.
Join us Thursday, July 28th at 7pm for Only Yesterday, screening one night only at Main Street Landing Film House in Burlington. Full event and ticketing info here: https://vtiff.org/events/only-yesterday/
-Eric Ford
Co-Founder, Burlington Film Society
