The Boy and the Heron2023

even though I had a not-so-great theater experience, with a group of people being very loud in the row behind me, I was able to feel extremely immersed in the world of The Boy and The Heron.  It felt like a dream. I could try to interpret this dream, and maybe it would even make sense (the themes of the film seem to be on grief and dealing with being able to move on into new life after loss.) but that would be oversimplifying the movie. The animation here is like magic, you know it's not real but the enjoyment comes in trying your hardest to believe in the world that's being painted here. This journey is a gorgeous, imaginative one, where every step of the way gets you asking questions about the film, about the world, and for me the main question was: “what do we do with death?” should we move on as quick as possible? should we run from it as much as we can?  a bit of spoilers below . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It certainly made me feel things when Mahito was watching as the things that become human lives are attacked by the birds, and how inevitable it all feels, and the fire lady that can stop the birds but not without hurting some of those souls. It was interesting how, to me, the moment Mahito hurts himself with the rock felt so natural. I wonder what that means about me. One day we'll die but everyday we're living!