Wolf Children is the latest theatrical outing by director Mamoru Hosoda, the talented filmmaker behind 2006′s THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME adaptation and 2009′s SUMMER WARS. It follows the character Hana from the time she is a 19-year-old university student over the course of a decade or so.
While in university, Hana meets a young man with whom she begins a relationship. One night while taking a walk, the young man reveals to her that he can become a wolf at will. He proves his claim on the spot in a sequence that is a refreshing departure from the bone-cracking, brutally painful event that AN American WEREWOLF IN London so effectively popularized in werewolf fiction. His fingers and face quietly elongate, and his hair ever-so-gently grows until his metamorphosis comes to rest as a bipedal, anthropomorphic wolf, somewhere between man and beast.
The sex scene that follows is implied, but as the two naked silhouettes come together for a kiss and slowly descend onto the bed, you can't help but wonder why the werewolf hasn't transformed back into a human. The movie insinuates that this is the first time these two have engaged in intercourse with one another, and what it says about Hana's character (i.e. that she prefers it this way) feels unintentional and all for the sake of a little furry fan service. Whether or not this is the goal, as someone who doesn't find animals sexy, it's an uncomfortable moment to watch and feels wholly out of place in this story.
The products of their repeated love-making become the titular wolf children, a girl named Yuki and her baby brother Ame. After a tragic hunting accident claims the life of the children's father, Hana is stuck trying to raise these kids, or perhaps tame these wild animals, alone. The father's driver's license is Hana's lone reminder of the life she once had.
WOLF CHILDREN is entirely about the difficulties and triumphs of raising children, specifically through the experience of a single mother. The genre fiction elements serve only to enhance the drama of such highs and lows. When the rambunctious Yuki throws a temper tantrum, her wolf side takes over, allowing the destructive potential of her feral characteristics to match the emotional instability of the toddler she is. When she gets into a pack of silica gel and becomes very ill, Hana struggles with whether to take her to the hospital or the veterinary clinic. Although this particular scene plays out with a bit of a dramatic contrivance (the two medical facilities are conveniently right across the street from each other), it does a good job of illustrating the difficult decisions that single parents must make for their children when they don't have a partner to consult with. It's a lonely kind of desperation, and WOLF CHILDREN knows how to hit those chords in a thoughtful and effective way.
Hats off to Hosoda and his co-writer Satoko Okudera for not falling into the trap of having Hana need someone to help her raise the kids. At a turning point in the film, she decides that moving out to the countryside will be safer for everyone as the threat of Yuki and Ame's strange abilities being discovered is much more severe in the city where they were living. At this point, Hana blossoms into the strong independent character she is meant to become — cleaning up an old house, learning to farm and grow food for her and her children, and doing it all without the need for a father figure. When a local patriarch teaches her how to make the most of her food garden, it only strengthens her resolve to raise these kids on her own. She may not know how to sow or reap, but she knows how to be a mother.
We are treated to a lovely montage of passing years and growing children. The once rambunctious Yuki has become somewhat of a serious student, preferring human interaction to catching snakes and myriad wildlife. The far more reserved infant Ame has become an adult — an adult wolf, that is. He's 10 years old now and ready to go out on his own and explore his savage alter ego in the wooded mountains near his home. Hana has issues with this, as any parent would, but the film uses this to paint a very apt analogy between Hana and real-world parents who have trouble coping with the decisions of their adult children. Hana must learn to let him go, and when she does, she becomes stronger, which is maintained as a constant theme for her character.
The animation is absolutely stunning. Some of the backgrounds, especially in the city, are so impressively detailed that you wonder if they weren't painted over photographs. The simplicity of the character designs and animations almost makes them feel out of place in such a meticulously crafted world — almost. Ultimately, everything fits together so beautifully that you hardly care when some third-act CGI threatens to visually derail the whole thing. Don't worry; it doesn't.
What feels like mostly two to three piece arrangements fill Takagi Masakatsu's score with a simple, beautiful canvas for the narrative to be painted upon. The few moments of action or tension allow for brief but refreshing swells in the musical backdrop. It's a lovely soundtrack, and compliments the visuals well.
To read the rest of this review, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/qhd76xf
While in university, Hana meets a young man with whom she begins a relationship. One night while taking a walk, the young man reveals to her that he can become a wolf at will. He proves his claim on the spot in a sequence that is a refreshing departure from the bone-cracking, brutally painful event that AN American WEREWOLF IN London so effectively popularized in werewolf fiction. His fingers and face quietly elongate, and his hair ever-so-gently grows until his metamorphosis comes to rest as a bipedal, anthropomorphic wolf, somewhere between man and beast.
The sex scene that follows is implied, but as the two naked silhouettes come together for a kiss and slowly descend onto the bed, you can't help but wonder why the werewolf hasn't transformed back into a human. The movie insinuates that this is the first time these two have engaged in intercourse with one another, and what it says about Hana's character (i.e. that she prefers it this way) feels unintentional and all for the sake of a little furry fan service. Whether or not this is the goal, as someone who doesn't find animals sexy, it's an uncomfortable moment to watch and feels wholly out of place in this story.
The products of their repeated love-making become the titular wolf children, a girl named Yuki and her baby brother Ame. After a tragic hunting accident claims the life of the children's father, Hana is stuck trying to raise these kids, or perhaps tame these wild animals, alone. The father's driver's license is Hana's lone reminder of the life she once had.
WOLF CHILDREN is entirely about the difficulties and triumphs of raising children, specifically through the experience of a single mother. The genre fiction elements serve only to enhance the drama of such highs and lows. When the rambunctious Yuki throws a temper tantrum, her wolf side takes over, allowing the destructive potential of her feral characteristics to match the emotional instability of the toddler she is. When she gets into a pack of silica gel and becomes very ill, Hana struggles with whether to take her to the hospital or the veterinary clinic. Although this particular scene plays out with a bit of a dramatic contrivance (the two medical facilities are conveniently right across the street from each other), it does a good job of illustrating the difficult decisions that single parents must make for their children when they don't have a partner to consult with. It's a lonely kind of desperation, and WOLF CHILDREN knows how to hit those chords in a thoughtful and effective way.
Hats off to Hosoda and his co-writer Satoko Okudera for not falling into the trap of having Hana need someone to help her raise the kids. At a turning point in the film, she decides that moving out to the countryside will be safer for everyone as the threat of Yuki and Ame's strange abilities being discovered is much more severe in the city where they were living. At this point, Hana blossoms into the strong independent character she is meant to become — cleaning up an old house, learning to farm and grow food for her and her children, and doing it all without the need for a father figure. When a local patriarch teaches her how to make the most of her food garden, it only strengthens her resolve to raise these kids on her own. She may not know how to sow or reap, but she knows how to be a mother.
We are treated to a lovely montage of passing years and growing children. The once rambunctious Yuki has become somewhat of a serious student, preferring human interaction to catching snakes and myriad wildlife. The far more reserved infant Ame has become an adult — an adult wolf, that is. He's 10 years old now and ready to go out on his own and explore his savage alter ego in the wooded mountains near his home. Hana has issues with this, as any parent would, but the film uses this to paint a very apt analogy between Hana and real-world parents who have trouble coping with the decisions of their adult children. Hana must learn to let him go, and when she does, she becomes stronger, which is maintained as a constant theme for her character.
The animation is absolutely stunning. Some of the backgrounds, especially in the city, are so impressively detailed that you wonder if they weren't painted over photographs. The simplicity of the character designs and animations almost makes them feel out of place in such a meticulously crafted world — almost. Ultimately, everything fits together so beautifully that you hardly care when some third-act CGI threatens to visually derail the whole thing. Don't worry; it doesn't.
What feels like mostly two to three piece arrangements fill Takagi Masakatsu's score with a simple, beautiful canvas for the narrative to be painted upon. The few moments of action or tension allow for brief but refreshing swells in the musical backdrop. It's a lovely soundtrack, and compliments the visuals well.
To read the rest of this review, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/qhd76xf