Spirited Away

Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi

Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2001, 125 minutes

This is the tale of Chihiro, a sullen 10-year-old girl. Her family are on their way to their new house in the suburbs when her father decides to take a short-cut. They spot an ominous looking tunnel and decide to explore it – much to Chihiro’s protests (bloody men, always think they know better). At the other end of the tunnel they discover an open-air restaurant filled with food but with no workers or customers. Chihiro’s parents sit right down and dig in like the little piggies they are, but Chihiro is unnerved by the ominous desolation and refuses.

As darkness closes in she is haunted by visions of faceless spirits. Scared, she runs to find her parents, but when she gets back to the restaurant they are nowhere to be seen, with just a pair of pigs where mother and father once sat. She is discovered by a mysterious boy named Haku, who promises to help her. Haku gets her a job working in a nearby spa hotel, but the clientele aren’t your usual customers and comprise of thousands of Japan’s gods and spirits. Chihiro does her best and works hard, and is gradually accepted in the bathhouse.

Along the course of her amazing journey Chihiro grows substantially. From a sullen, apathetic girl she blossoms into a conscientious, hard working young lady. Oh, and the Dragon is really cool!

Spirited Away will simply take your breath away. Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke), Spirited Away is his most accomplished film yet, winning him a Berlin Golden Bear Award and the Oscar for Best Animated Film to name just two. His awards shelf is positively groaning with Spirited Away’s accomplishments, and when you watch it, it isn’t hard to see why.

Review by Janey Birch
Written for EUFS Programme Spring 2004