rawlinson
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Joined: 13/6/2008
From: Timbuktu. Chinese or Fictional.
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72. Only Yesterday
1991
Director: Isao Takahata
Isao Takahata seems to be the neglected man in Studio Ghibli, his films display every bit as much brilliance as those of his partner, Hayao Miyazaki, but while Miyazaki has received international acclaim (and even an Oscar) Takahata's films still seem somewhat unknown. Grave of the Fireflies has picked up the reputation it deserves, but a surprising number of people who revere that film still don't seem to know Pom Poko, My Neighbours the Yamadas or Only Yesterday. Maybe it's because the films are on a smaller scale in comparison. Certainly a film like Spirited Away is an easier sell than Grave of the Fireflies, people aren't usually keen to have their heart ripped out. But you have to think that some of it still comes out of a prejudice against animation, or a desire to view it as something simply for children. As acclaimed as Grave of the Fireflies is, I've still seen plenty of people mark it down because it was animated and not as good as a 'real' film. And I think that if Only Yesterday had been a live action film then it would be regarded as a masterpiece and hailed as one of the most subtle and intelligent depictions of memory and regret ever made.
Our lead character is Taeko, we meet her in two distinct time periods, as an adult in her mid 20s in the early 1980s, and as a child of around ten in the 1960s. In the present day, Taeko is an office worker preparing to leave for her summer holiday to the Japanese countryside to help pick the safflower harvest. On her way to the countryside she slips in and out of memories of her childhood self, remembering the small events that helped her to grow into the person she becomes, the joys, the disappointments and the minor incidents that can seem earth-shattering to a child. Taeko is a character who struggles with self-expression, she's a curious child who knows exactly what she wants, but the few moments that she has are stifled, by her family, by friends, by expectations, even her chance of becoming an actor is taken away from her by her rigid father. This suffocation leads her to be unable to express her true desires as an adult. The two points in time intertwine and comment on each other so we can see the woman in the girl and the girl in the woman. The slips in time don't feel like nostalgia solely for the sake of nostalgia, the world wasn't always better then, she was often alone and unhappy as a child, but it also doesn't create artificial misery. The film slips so easily between these time periods that you don't always notice at first. The biggest tip-off is the differing animation styles, Taeko's adult world is drawn in bolder colours, while the younger world is a place of softer watercolours. It's an exquisite way of detailing the past and the often hazy business of memories. Only Yesterday gives you a more psychologically complex portrayal of a character than most live action films can manage.
It saddens me to think that this depiction of Japanese life, which I would honestly rank alongside the best of Ozu and Naruse for honest realism, is neglected. Life in the country isn't softened by the beauty of nature, when Taeko goes to work there it is hard work, work that lasts long hours for very little reward. There's no sense of Takahata spoon-feeding you anything, we're never told this is bad/this is good, we're allowed to see the character finding out for herself. As a child she sees her dreams crushed by the harshness of life around her, we see her realise how her own fear and desire to fit in costs her a potentially rewarding friendship, we even see the value of life's small moments, like the disappointing first taste of pineapple. The ghost of her young self haunts her until she is able to make the decisions about what she really wants and when she does, that final moment of redemption never feels forced or sentimental. This is a poignant and insightful film and a thing of rare beauty. While Only Yesterday is fine as a title, the Japanese title actually translates as Memories of Falling Teardrops, a far more reflective and poetic title for one of the most poetic and graceful of all films.
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