From Up on Poppy Hill

Saw From Up on Poppy Hill, a diabolically wholesome film from Studio Ghibli. This is directed by Goro Miyazaki, the son of the more famous Miyazaki. It follows a hard-working, earnest young girl who must cook and clean for her family's houseful of boarders. Not satisfied with this burden of housework, the budding Cinderella also takes on the Herculean effort of cleaning up her high-school's clubhouse. This clubhouse is gloriously busy and messy. Different clubs sit cheek-by-jowl, like different races in a fantasy world, each specialized and intensely inward-focused, stacks of mysterious documents and objects stacked around them. The clubhouse is this film's equivalent to the beautiful bathhouse in Spirited Away. There's a sense of accreted and secret systems and arrangements, all chaotically arranged, but arranged in a working order nonetheless. The clubhouse alone makes this film worth a watch!

But anyway, this girl decides to clean the clubhouse after dramatically meeting the boy who runs the student newspaper. The film is set in the 60s, so he's mimeographing his articles, and he too is a serious, sincere little boy. These two sincere, wholesome kids try to save the clubhouse from demolition while trying to get home in time to make dinner (or write, as the case may be.) It's so so wholesome. It's also set in the 60s for a nice, nostalgic feel. No cell phones and drugs, only fish and telegrams.

I really liked the film. The gender politics leaves a bit to be desired. The girl basically tries to save this clubhouse through the power of a really good spring cleaning. The boy is earnest and great and everything as well, but he spends most of his time writing articles advertising her efforts. As their relationship grows (and of course they have a relationship) we get into some tricky situations that required me to remind myself that both the past and Japan are foreign countries; they do things differently there. This is a minor bum note in an orchestrated assault on your heartstrings. There are some great scenes and of course that glorious clubhouse. Good stuff!