ADirected by Hayao Miyazaki Starring Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, and Aimyon Review by Jon Kissel |  |
Two of cinema’s greatest directors sensed the end in 2023. In Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese continued his reorientation to the violent men that have characterized much of his career, portraying them as brutes with none of the charisma of his earlier work while casting himself in the role of a radio show narrator humiliated by the dismissive way that film’s tale of rancid monstrosity is being passed along to the audience. He proceeded to give poignant interviews about his looming death, lamenting that there’ll only be a few more chances to do this thing that he loves so much. That kind of ruefulness isn’t in Killers of the Flower Moon, but it’s all over The Boy and the Heron, the latest and likely final masterpiece from Hayao Miyazaki, another all-timer director who’s long questioned the impact and value of his own work. It’s a valedictory film that recapitulates the themes of Miyazaki’s legendary career while openly contemplating the world he brought his work into and the world he’ll leave behind. One Miyazaki movie was always going to be the final one. If The Boy and the Heron is that one, what an incredible note to go out on.
RSS Feed