#i haven't seen the boy and the heron yet

[rsaccountonhere]

Well I think you sound cute too so now what -♥️

(Also obligated to tell me your fave Ghibli film now, after your recent reblog! Listen the Pokémon thing wasn’t that serious but I am threatening you now to make a good decision 🗡️(not really))

It appears we are at a cuteness impasse. Your move.

Of all the things to threaten me over, you chose the question that has no wrong answer? I mean it's not like there's such a thing as a bad Ghibli movie. Or if there is, I haven't seen it.

But as for my favourite, though I do watch Howl's Moving Castle more often, I think Princess Mononoke edges it out ever so slightly. Like the former is more fun to watch, much more of a comfort film, but the latter leaves a bigger impact on me. Not least of all because of its music. Like there are a lot of factors that make me adore Princess Mononoke, but its music is near the top of the list; that main theme is etched into my brain. Conversely, much as I love Howl's Moving Castle, the only piece of its soundtrack that really sticks with me isn't even original, it's a Bulgarian folk song.

[deanpinterester]

something something something disney's 100th anniversary super special movie getting snubbed while nimona, the movie disney tried to kill, is nominated 😌😌😌

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

[Hey, where's Sophie??? She's technically a young woman who only looks like an old woman and besides everyone would vote for her and where's the fun in that?]

[barlicgreadsposts]

[balsee]

I WANNA SEE THE BOY AND THE HERON!!!

[spontaneousmusicalnumber]

If you liked The Boy and the Heron, try Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)!

It's an early movie by Makoto Shinkai, now known for Your Name and Weathering With You. It has his trademark style of character design, rich backgrounds, and gorgeous animation of skyscapes and flowing light.

It also is much more fantastical than his usual style of magical realism and is the most Ghibli-style of all his films (except possibly Suzume, I haven't seen that one yet)

Like The Boy and the Heron, this movie is a fantasy adventure that, at its core, is actually about grief. It's about what happens when you can't let go, it's about who gets to live and who doesn't, it's about how the different people left behind all lose different things. It's about learning how to live again afterwards.

It's long been a favorite of mine, and The Boy and the Heron reminded me a lot of it! I think if you left the movie wanting more, give this one a shot. You'll cry, but it's a good cry.

[derpyjackarts]

The Boy and The Heron - Mahito

I watched the Ghibli movie "The Boy and The Heron" recently. It has great animation as always. I missed this weird abstract yet somewhat realistic fantasy that I haven't seen for years! BTW, Here's the not-doing-okay protagonist of the movie, Mahito!

[sammythelibrarian]

Just some spoilery and messy thoughts on the boy and the heron

One thing I love about The Boy and the Heron is that Mahito is never mean or rude to Natsuko? He's cold, yes. A bit standoffish, sure. Visibly trying to cope with horrific circumstances, absolutely.

But he never calls her out on her "new mother" comment, he never makes faces behind her back, he's not trying to drive a wedge between her and his father.

And it wouldn't have been awful if he had. A lot of his actions are driven by the norms of the time period (his father and Natsuko are smart for marrying, for keeping everything within the family, for not introducing Mahito to a stranger) and the expected showings of respect to ones own family and yadaydaya, but a grieving kid acting out still would have been fine to a modern audience. But he didn't take his feelings out on her. He didn't particularly care for his aunt/step-mom but he didn't (visibly) blame her even when he struggled.

And when she (seemed like) she needed help, he went to help her anyway. And I think that's just nice to see for once.

I'm not a big fan of BuT FaMiLY as a concept (in fact, I heavily recommend pruning the family tree whenever you feel like it!) but I am a big fan of trying your hardest not to take out your valid but complicated feelings on those around you.

Also a big fan of having a look at a situation and decide you will help this person out, even if you don't like them. Not being liked by me is not a crime, so time to go adventuring.

And to me, while the scene in the birthing chamber has some layers I haven't quite figured out yet, Mahito's acceptance of her there comes from the fact that he's had time to breathe. It's not as sudden as it seems.

Away from Tokyo, from his new home, from his father, from his new mother, from everything, his focus is forced to shift. Suddenly he's attacked by birds! On a boat! Gutting fish? His mini-mom's there now, surely this won't affect the way he grieves at all.

Anyway, I think that after all of that it's easier for him to out Natsuko into perspective. All she (has shown she) wants to do is care for her sister's son, her own future kid, her husband and her home. She's been nothing but nice to him and shouldn't that merit something in return?

Not in the "forced by society" way, but in the self-reflection sort of way. Mahito owes it to her and himself to give her a chance to take on this new role in his life. His mother's not coming back either way, but here is her sister willing to love him like her anyway. (and hate him but like I said, layers I'm still struggling to make semi-coherent to myself. I have some ideas)

Here's a story of a boy who's gone through some unimaginable trauma leaving relative safety behind to go rescue his new step-mother that he doesn't even like, only to eventually realize that they'd both be better off emotionally if she's given a chance to be there for him.

She's the first to protect him from the Heron, too, I just realized. He gets the idea of using a bow from her. She's already passing things on to him even before they become mother and son.

Anyway this got way longer than I thought it'd be (I was just going to note down some random ideas) and I'm not sure how much sense it makes but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I've seen a lot of people talking about the themes of this movie, but not many seem to be touching on the relationship between these two (except for talk of the birthing room scene).

One final thought: obviously he has some Issues with fire after the opening of the movie, but by the end it's become Himi's visual (the fire is his mom). Just like how he struggles with Natsuko, but in the end she's become his mom too. Cheesy phrasing? Maybe

[bettsfic]

Have you seen either Saltburn or May December? I thought about you for both, I suppose for different reasons. With Saltburn, a bit of well, everything! Themes, characters, etc. And then with May December, it was partially plot reasons but also because I kept thinking of your story, Lemon! Seeing older Natalie Portman like that made me desperately need to reread that fic (even if she’s obviously a very different character). Curious about your thoughts if you’ve seen them, no worries if not!

i had the chance to see may december at a film festival in new york but i ended up seeing the boy and the heron instead :( i haven't had the chance to sit down and watch it yet. i know it's both hard to watch and also very in my wheelhouse (for some reason that's always made it harder for me to watch something), so i've been waiting for a time i can handle that.

i'm VERY eager to watch saltburn; i definitely will before the oscar's.

i got a membership to my local indie theater and i've started seeing movies there every week (they have option caption mondays!) so i've checked out or have planned to check out a lot of the other oscar nods. i just haven't made it to these two yet, but i will!

[rayshippouuchiha]

Have you seen "The Boy and the Heron" yet? It's good! I definitely recommend seeing it!

I haven't had the chance to but oh do i want to!!

[altocat]

Im reading the Howl’s Moving Castle book and was wondering what AGSZC’s favorite ghibli movie would be?

Hhhh I still need to read the book! One of these days I will sit down and do it! I also haven't seen The Boy and The Heron yet so it will not feature here.

Anyway...

Angeal: Princess Mononoke. Because it's a serious story with a serious message that Angeal considers upholding "honor" in that it respects nature.

Sephiroth: Kiki's Delivery Service. Because it's safe and wholesome and everyone's just so nice and warm and cuddly that even a grouchy edgelord like Seph is completely won over.

Genesis: Howl's Moving Castle. Like the rest of us, Genesis probably experienced his first sexual awakening due to Howl being...Howl. And decided to imitate the big lovable drama queen for the rest of his life.

Zack: Laputa/Castle in the Sky. He likes the adventure. And his relationship with Aerith is oddly reminiscent of Pazu and Sheeta!

Cloud: Spirited Away. Much like Chihiro, Cloud ALSO goes on a coming of age adventure filled with trauma and strange imagery. Also he thinks the soot-balls are cute.

[deanpinterester]

NOTE: i ran out of space and had to remove one movie to fit in The Boy and the Heron. yes that means i removed Spirited Away from the competition because i am biased. désolé.

*this poll only includes movies directed by hayao miyazaki. for ghibli movies NOT involving hayao miyazaki, check my other poll.

[no-gram]

Giovanna is a reference to the Night on the Galactic Railroad!

(x) As he gazes up at the Milky Way above, Giovanni finds himself with Campanella on board a steam train. The train travels past the Northern Cross and other stars across the galaxy, making several stops. A ticket inspector comes by at one point, and Campanella and the others show their tickets while Giovanni offers the piece of paper he finds in his pocket. They learn that it's a rare ticket that allows the holder to go anywhere with the train.

I've seen a lot of people through. This piece of paper is indeed a ticket to happiness, it seems. I took the ticket offered to me and returned it with a boarding pass. "Oh. This one is for you." Once again, I am handed a ticket. No, I am not qualified to ride. I refuse to accept it, but your hand won't drop. I'm going to doze off anyway, oh well. "It took me a long time to get a ticket for you. Sorry I'm late." Yes, I really wonder how far I can go with this piece of paper. I need as much time as possible. I have a lot to tell you.

The two boys witness amazing sights and meet various people, including scholars excavating a fossil from sands of white crystal, a man who catches herons and sells them as sweets, and passengers of a ship that sank after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean. A child recounts the story behind Scorpio: a scorpion who preys on insects flees from a weasel and, after falling down a well, regrets not having sacrificed itself to feed the weasel, a good cause.

"Oh, it's almost your stop. Look at those stars." There was a water star in your line of sight. "That's where you get off." You're not coming? No, I can't get down here without you.

Water star - Scorpio constellation?

It vowed to serve others in its next life, and its body burst into flames that still burn in the night sky.

You opened the window with a mighty movement and took a pinch of clean sand from the bottle hanging around your neck and spread it on your palm. "All this sand is crystal. There's a little fire burning inside." And you threw it out the window. It was too beautiful. Each one was like a fire of life.

Giovanni says that they should travel together forever, and vows to follow Scorpio's example of bringing happiness to others. 

If only I had been able to give my body to you without hesitation. Please, God. Please look into my heart. Please don't give up your life so vainly, but use my body next time for the sake of everyone's happiness.

I haven't read the story and am not very familiar with it and its interpretations, but here's what I get from it: the train in the story delivers the souls to heaven of their corresponding religion. Campanella leaves to the heaven, and Giovanni is left alone. Tsuguha takes the place of Giovanni, and the other person is Campanella.

I find it interesting that Tsuguha seems to be working on the train. She doesn't just end up there accidentally, like Giovanni in the original story.

I wouldn't lie to you, I've been doing this job to see you.

I've seen a lot of people through. This piece of paper is indeed a ticket to happiness, it seems. However, I do not know where they are going. I don't even know where they are headed. I'm a little tired, Mogiri's work must be over. I'm tired, no one will know if I take a little rest, I'm sure.

(x) Mogiri (tips and rips off the ticket stub) refers to the act of tearing off the ticket stub at the entrance or reception desk of a theater, cinema, sports venue, etc.

"You're always here, but you've never been in, have you?" Come to think of it, yes. I'm sure I have. I've seen a lot of people off, but this is the first time I've been on one myself.

She has been working on the train that delivers souls to heaven, however she never took a ride herself. I'm not sure what to make out of it yet.

I think that Tsuguha might be unable to leave because her soul is not suited for heaven yet. Why exactly it is not suited should depend on Tsuguha's religion, but generally speaking souls get to the heaven when they become fully free of negativity in some way or another.

Self-sacrifice also plays a big part into becoming "deserving" of heaven.

Through the story, Campanella is said to be gentle with Giovanni, allowing Giovanni to rely on him in a way, and in the end his soul leaves to the heaven when he sacrifices his life to save another boy.

Having read about this at the house of Campanella, his only friend, Giovanni knows it is composed of stars, but is too timid to say so. When called upon, Campanella also does not answer, to save Giovanni from embarrassment.

Giovanni runs into his classmates, who mock him again. He sees Campanella in the group, and Campanella gives him sympathetic looks. 

A child recounts the story behind Scorpio: a scorpion who preys on insects flees from a weasel and, after falling down a well, regrets not having sacrificed itself to feed the weasel, a good cause. It vowed to serve others in its next life, and its body burst into flames that still burn in the night sky.

As he passes the area from which his classmates set out earlier, he sees a crowd. They tell him that one of the boys fell from the boat into the river and that Campanella jumped in to save him. Giovanni speaks to Campanella's father, who says his son has been lost in the water too long to be saved. 

Though Giovanni wanted to sacrifice himself for the happiness of others.

Giovanni says that they should travel together forever, and vows to follow Scorpio's example of bringing happiness to others. 

If only I had been able to give my body to you without hesitation. Please, God. Please look into my heart. Please don't give up your life so vainly, but use my body next time for the sake of everyone's happiness.

You entrusted me with the vial around your neck. I understand. So that's my reigning karma. I wanted you to blame me anyway. If only you had worked harder! If only you had rested more! Like that. Still, I have no choice but to live.

Like Giovanni, Tsuguha doesn't get a chance to sacrifice herself for the person who she has been relying on.

I also want to note that Tsuguha copies the action that her victim does, but when it comes to her, it's like... done in an "earthly" way?

You opened the window with a mighty movement and took a pinch of clean sand from the bottle hanging around your neck and spread it on your palm. "All this sand is crystal. There's a little fire burning inside." And you threw it out the window. It was too beautiful. Each one was like a fire of life.

Her victim throws sand into the open space, causing it to shine like stars. Tsuguha though is left alone on the Earth, so she finds what seems most like night sky (sea), and attempts to throw sand into it the same way. But not only the sand doesn't shine, it gets carried away by the wind. She can't recreate the beautiful scenery that she has seen.

As I saw that day, as you did. I threw sand into the sea. The stars are carried away by the wind. Carried far, far away. Unlike that day, it was a little salty. The smell of the sea pierced my nose.

Which once again ties into the way her victim was "deserving" of heaven, and Tsuguha is not, she's still an ordinary human who has to continue to live on Earth. I find the emphasis on the sea interesting also because Campanella drowned in the original story.

I also want to mention a vocaloid song based on the Night on the Galactic Railroad, Campanella by sasakure.uk:

It's a story of delivering unreachable thoughts.

I'm not sure what happened to Tsuguha's victim but I'm sure it's an indirect murder. She blames herself for being unable to save the other person or sacrifice herself for their sake.

nice

[bunnywand]

a more accurate studio ghibli movie ranking than.. whatever the hell this was 😅

the main difference is i've un-Squarshed the top tiers, cos i somehow had nrly every film in the top 4 tiers.. 😵‍💫

there's also a few minor changes like moving "castle in the sky" and "grave of the fireflies" up, but apart from that not much else.. i still hate "pom poko" and "tales from earthsea" lol

(also i watched thru all these films and made the initial lists in 2022, so i still haven't seen "the boy and the heron" yet 🫣)

[slytherinshua]

HELLO!!!!

so ive been dead for a couple weeks (okay im sorry but school is kicking my ass)

BUTTTT IM BACK!!!!

And SO ARE YOU!!!

zanna pls the hao fic 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

idk whether to cry or kick my feet bc wTFFFF

how are you so g o o d (you obviously worked super hard and thats so cool of you)

ALSO

CINEMA PARADISE AND 19.99 CB!!!!!!

okay so i heard good so bad right? amazing song. 10/10 and thEn i watched the mcountdown kill the romeo performance and immediately went wHOA because why did that song hIT SO HARD LIKE?!?!??! Cinema paradise is such a ricky era (to me) bc his aura was off the roof he was so super noticable (even though he was worried bc of the hair dyeing :( he still stood out so much!) Also hao was so super good zb1 keeps getting better!!

OKAY NOW LISTEN

IM NOT THE BIGGEST ONEDOOR AROUND HERE OKAY BUT IVE LISTENED TO THEIR ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY AND WATCHED ALL THEIR PERSONAL CONTENT AND CAN I JUST SAY DANGEROUS AND NICE GUY ARE SO GOOD LIKE BND NEVER MISSES WHAT THE HECK

Taesans line in dangerous had me actually pulling out my earphones bc wtf why was that so good i was h o o k e d the secomd that song started and then nice guy was just also really good like?!?!?!? H O W do you slay that hard like whoa

ANYWAY HI ZANNA I MISSED YOUUUUUU

im glad you're out of your mini slump!!! (i have so many ideas and i want to write but i have no t i m e!!! i dont like school 😐)

-🌱 (bc you said youd miss this <3)

im sorry i rambled on a bit but yeah !!!

HI HAFS OMG!!!! omg it has been a while but dw i understand :((( school is out to get us all istg im so tired and its only the beginning of the year... AND LIKE I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY W THAT WRITERS BLOCK HOLY SHIT LIKE I COULD NOT FUNCTION WITHOUT MY DELUSIONS BEING MY ESCAPE 😭😭😭��😭😭

BUT AAAA IM GLAD U LIKED IT <333333 thank you ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️ ugh i remember like before i even properly stanned zb1 i was thinking about which members would fit studio ghibli boys and let me see if i can remember all the pairings.... honestly i think these ranged from most accurate (first 4-5) to zanna is running out of ghibli boys to assign

zhang hao as seiji

i think i had taerae as tombo back then but now i feel like it fits gyuvin more :((

NOW RICKY AS HOWL CAUSE WHO ELSE WOULD HE BE

and yujin as sho!!! cause look theyre literally the same skdfjksd could 100% see yujin in an arrietty storyline to me hes just the embodiment of teen youth like coming of age stories rly fit him so well

gunwook as pazu bcuz i have to satisfy my childhood crush and my current crush (also they look the same fight me)

honestly jiwoong as jiro???

taerae as asbel now (literally i don't remember anything about asbel but they look kinda similar so we're going w it)

hanbin as ashitaka bcuz i just think theyre both hot like that 🤕🤕🤕

which leaves matthew as sosuke cause i haven't watched the boy and the heron yet so idk whether that might fit better but yeah... BUT TELL ME WHY THEY KINDA HAVE SIMILAR VIBES ANYWAY SO??

now can we also appreciate how i tried to match the pics as close as i could thank you thank you anyway enough abt zb1 and ghibli boys

YES CINEMA PARADISE WAS SO GOOD!!! good so bad literally their best title track to date AND SAME W BND. i think nice guy is their best to date and ive seen a lot of ppl who like dangerous more than nice guy which is valid i also love dangerous BUT IMO NICE GUY IS PERFECT AND BETTER THAN DANGEROUS???? 👹👹👹

ricky will always stand out no matter what !!!!! even tho his hair was plain it still drew attention to him like the contrast of black hair to his skin is crazy and he looks like a whole prince (when does he ever not) BUT OMG HAO IN THE MV WRECKED ME SOOOO HARD like i think good so bad mv is the reason why hao is #2 in zb1 ranking for me rn skdfjskdfs ALSO CAN WE TALK ABT PURPLE GUNWOOK CAUSE NO IM STILL NOT OVER PURPLE GUNWOOK even tho hes had it for a while now i still look at it and then die skdfjksdhfks

IF THERES ONE THING BONEDO WILL DO ITS RELEASE BANGERS EVERY TIME!!! i swear they always stay true to their sound and concept and i LOVE that about them. every song feels SO boynextdoor but at the same time they try different sounds and tell different stories with each song. i also just adore their storytelling in their mvs and songs its so good every time!!!! and im excited to see what they release next bcuz it seems theyre doing a youth concept now that theyre done their falling in love trilogy

awwww nooo i hope u find time soon 👹 it can be so hard to find time to write sometimes istg.... but you'll manage i believe in u !!! KSDJFKSD I DID MISS IT OMG

[lcatala]

My top 6 movies discovered in 2023

I watched 52 new-to-me movies in 2023. Not nearly enough , as I could only find 6 movies that stood out sufficiently to be worthy of a personal top, in what was otherwise a pretty meh year — yes I'm a picky watcher — and yeah The Boy and The Heron didn't make the top, you can read the long rambling I wrote about it if you want to know why; I haven't watched Barbie, Oppenheimer or the Super Mario Bros. Movie, and haven't watched any Marvel-related movie since 2015.

6: Nimona (2023)

I didn't really expect to like the animated adaptation of N. D. Stevenson's comic, and I went in reluctantly, only because a lot of people who seemed trustworthy recommended it. Despite having some of the flaws I've come to expect in modern 3D animation, this was a very good surprise. You can read my detailed review here.

5: Suzume (2022)

The plot of Suzume stays very much within the bounds of the "modern artsy anime film", with a rather predictable 3+1 acts structure and an exploration of themes and human interactions which has some subtlety and nuance but overall stays very safe and on-the-surface. Nothing offensive, but nothing truly groundbreaking either.

But.

Suzume had, by far, the best animation of any movie I've seen this year. This movie is an absoluteely beautiful, every-frame-a-painting kind of deal. If I was to rank every animated I've ever seen solely by the quality of their animation, Suzume would easily be in the top 10.

4: Cape Fear (1962)

American cinema achieved maturity during the New Hollywood era that started in the late 1960s, marking a shift toward more naturalistic and more adult filmmaking and themes. But there were a few notable precursors before that.

The most famous of those is of course Psycho (altho tellingly, it was from a British director). But Cape Fear followed close behind, and is another example of an early 60s movie which you don't expect to be this dark and this raw, starring an absolutely get-under-your-skin-terrifying Robert Mitchum — if you thought he was creepy in The Night of the Hunter, you haven't seen nothing yet…

3: The Outwaters (2022)

This was the biggest surprise of the year, watched the same day it was recommended to me, having heard absolutely nothing about it before that (I didn't even know this movie existed). I got treated to a no-budget yet beautifully-shot found-footage horror movie — in fact the best found-footage movie I have ever seen, with a lot of attention put toward making the gimmick plausible, making the characters realistic and likeable, making this look like the kind of actual footage you'd find on a personal camera — while also having amazingly beautiful cinematography — all while slowly building up the tension.

Because that's just the first half.

Oh yeah, it's one of these horror movies in which you think you know where the story is going, and then second half just explodes in your face and becomes completely, utterly batshit insane. This is on par with Men (2022) for how weird and fucked up the climax is. Don't expect any kind of explanation or closure here, the second half of this movie turns into one of the most fucked up and bizzare horror movies you'll ever see.

2: Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Yeah so this one was a surprise late-year hit for everyone, not just me. First live-action Japanese Godzilla film in 7 years, with rather tempered expectations — we all knew that Shin Godzilla was an odd one out, that the average Japanese Godzilla movie is not like that, that we shouldn't expect this kind of quality on a regular basis.

Well we played ourselves.

This was incredibly well made as a blockbuster — Japanese cinema has completely caught up on American cinema, for a fraction of the budgets — one of the best Godzilla movies ever made from an action and visuals point of view, and a reminder that Godzilla, as a character, can also be scary, a terrifying incarnation of destruction and disaster.

But somehow this also managed to be a powerful and well filmed drama — no lazy endless shot/reverse shot dialogues here, a lot effort is put into framing choices, blocking… — a movie that actually touches on difficult questions and goes against the message of many other war or action blockbusters.

When so many stories glorify the idea of sacrifying your life for a greater cause, here's one movie that says "hey maybe expecting people to sacrifice their life for your cause is actually pretty fucked up, and maybe it's actually better to choose to live for the sake of your loved ones than to die for the sake of your own pride". Yeah a Japanese movie is saying that, a Godzilla movie is saying that.

1: Skinamarink (2022)

So, speaking of low-budget independent horror, back in 2022 I had foolishly overlooked Skinamarink. I had vaguely heard that it was good, but no particular detail was mentioned that would have picked my interest, and the poster looked fairly generic, so I skipped it, even tho I should have been more intrigued — 2022 was already shaping up to be a really good year for horror films…

Skinamarink was a tough proposition from the get go, in the "experimental" kind of tough: an entire film made in the analog horror genre — usually short videos made to ressemble old media from the 80s and 90s, advertisements, warning messages, weather channels, documentaries and informercials, with a disturbing twist; a format usually made of short segments. Trying to tell a film-length story in that fashion is an entirely different exercise, but that's fine, I've sat thru Begotten (1989), I can do this.

Right away, this is not framed like a movie: it's more as if someone had negligently left an old camera on the floor — but this is not even found-footage, there is no camera in-story, we just happen to be seeing this world thru stolen, furtive points of view. The image is grainy, the sound is bad quality (subtitles are provided), the frames are often askew, you never even see the actors' faces. We get no narration, no exposition, just a succession of disjointed scenes that slowly form a story.

This shouldn't work. And for many people, this will not work. Most will turn this off not even 5 minutes in. But if you're among the exceptions, then howdy does it work. The format is not a gimmick at all — it's completely in service of the story. The grainy image, the low quality sound prey on your pattern recognition, never quite certain if something is there or not; the framing by a "forgotten" camera contributes to make the atmosphere hyper-real in its intimacy, yet alienating and uncanny.

The director of Skinamarink deals with one very specific topic: nightmares. Not the idea of nightmares, not the heightened nightmares of fiction, but the literal nightmares that real people have; he started by making short videos representing common nightmares that people would tell him about. When it came time to make a full-length feature film, he kept the same approach. Skinamarink doesn't really use any of the classic themes or structures of horror movies; it largely ignores that folklore and instead focuses on deep childhood fears, the kind of stuff your mind used to conjure up long ago and that you have forgotten but not erased from your brain.

If you manage to enter into this very peculiar format, this very unusual and seemingly disjointed way to tell a story, and if you identify with the kind of fear material the movie is drawing on, this is a truly scary experience. Not really in a jump scare or suspense way, more like a deeply haunting and unsettling atmosphere, a strong ambient uncanniness where things are almost normal but just broken enough to give you a constant feeling of unpleasantness, of wanting to run the hell out of here while being trapped, a sense of horrible lurking threat while having nothing concrete to fight against or protect yourself from.

Of course, this isn't exactly a fun experience. This is very, very intense, I'm talking Antichrist-levels of playing with your nerves, and the story, as simple as it is, is tragically harrowing and cruel — you're essentially watching two young children getting psychologically (and eventually physically) tortured by a sadistic, unseen entity for a hundred minutes.

It's hard to recommend, and yet recommendations is how this movie ended up grossing 2 millions on a 15k budget — promotion included ! Most people actually didn't like the movie, but those who liked it liked it so much they can't shut up about it (case in point!) It's one of those horror movies that completely break the boundaries of the genre and do something truly new and unique. It's what horror should be for: imagination gone wild, format-breaking fantasy, and realism thrown out of the window.