Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ben Zeitlin
2012, USA
A six year old girl named Hushpuppy living in the ‘Bathtub’, a bayou community situated beyond the levee of a major city with her father sees big changes in her life and must come to terms with the changing realities of her family and environment.
My Neighbour Totoro (となりのトトロ, Tonari no Totoro)
Miyazaki Hayao
1988
Two sisters move into a new house in the countryside with their father while their mother is in a nearby hospital being treated for an unnamed illness. Very soon after moving in they realise the house is haunted with magical creatures, but rather than eschewing the spirits they welcome them and, before long they meet and fall in love with Totoro.
My Neighbour Totoro was Studio Ghibli’s third film (It shared a double bill with Grave of the Fireflies, which must be one of the greatest double bills of all time) and has become its international mascot. It is one of the purest and most innocent films you will ever see. Over the years since it’s release it has become more than a film. It seems more akin to a classic children’s novel. The relationships in the film are so natural and convincing; The two sisters whilst playing have such an instinctive and authentic love you believe they would do anything for each other. The animation is beautifully developed. Everything from the family’s house to the grass in the garden to Totoro’s lair is meticulously drawn by hand with incredible attention to detail. The scene with the two girls and Totoro in the rain at the bus stop has become symbolic of Ghibli’s style and is still a stand out piece of animation and stands alongside some of the best animated and live action scenes in the history of film. One to watch if you love life, films or animation.
larkalong 