Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki) sees Chihiro accidentally enter a sea of spirits, where she initially feels powerless without her parents. Later, she learns resilience and inner strength. Similarly, in My Neighbour Totoro (1989, Hayao Miyazaki), Satsuki and Mei move house whilst their mum is in hospital. They soon meet Totoro and learn how to cope with difficult times and the loss of parental guidance. Behind these moving stories is Studio Ghibli, the legendary animation studio that has been producing emotionally complex films since 1985.

During my time at UEA, I have experienced lots of changes due to estrangement, studying, and trying not to become homeless. These pressures have been a massive weight, but gaining resilience, determination, and eventually trust in others has helped. People I’ve encountered, from local charities and student services to friends across campus, have mirrored relationships within the Ghibli films. Good people met along the way, some to never be seen again, but valuable in contribution to the journey.

Studio Ghibli’s latest, The Boy and The Heron (2023, Hiyao Miyazaki), helped me to understand my own feelings. Even if that film felt fantastical and surreal to most viewers, to me, it invoked the feelings of needing to rise up and show courage in the face of adversities and reminded me of the people who sacrificed their time to help my situation. In the end, allowing myself to live a free and authentic life, just like the protagonist Mahito who took a decision to make a change, which, in the end, allowed him to continue his life.

These films perfectly reflect the feelings I have as an estranged student, and I hope to find more of myself in their legendary filmography.

Credit: Unsplash