Friday Films: The Boy and the Heron

A film screening of The Boy and the Heron (2023); 2 hr. 4 m; Rated PG-13; closed captioning available.

After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family's estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito's new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.

"Of course, everyone expects a Ghibli film to look stunning, but Miyazaki finds some of his most striking compositions here. The first viewing favors the creative landscapes of the fantasy world—the ships on a horizon lit by sunset, the bright colors of the parakeets chasing the heron, the flames of Mahito’s ally Himi—but there’s stunning artistry in the first half of the film too, capturing a young man who looks small against a country landscape in which he just doesn’t seem to fit." - Brian Tallerico, Roger Ebert

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Host or Publisher Parker Hill Branch - Boston Public Library