While I wait and see whether The Boy and the Heron (AKA How Do You Live?) will get a cinema release here in Australia, I thought I'd check out this documentary about Studio Ghibli. It's called The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, but definitely focuses more on the dreams than the madness. The madness is talked about for sure, but the dreaminess of the creative environment that is Studio Ghibli is front and center, and I didn't mind that approach. That's clearly what the documentary was going for, and it nailed that vibe. A similarly detailed documentary on the madness and frustrations could've been interesting, but it would have been an entirely different watch.
Instead, this is simply a very gentle documentary, much in the same way that Hayao Miyazaki's films are largely soothing (at least 80-90% of the time). His worldview is also fascinating - sometimes dark, but almost always honest and understandable. Some of his musings on life reminded me of Agnes Varda's documentaries, in a good way, where part of what made her such a great documentary filmmaker was the way she let the viewer appreciate and understand her unique creative outlook on life. Miyazaki himself didn't direct this, but The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness gives him a similar opportunity to present such thoughts and feelings.
It's been out for 10 years, so anyone who's a fan of Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata (who's definitely not in this as much as I thought he'd be) has probably already seen it. Much of the focus is on The Wind Rises, which makes me feel like I should revisit it. I'm definitely keen to see his newest film, whenever that gets released outside Japan.
Also, I did love Ushiko, the cat that hangs around Studio Ghibli (but still generally stays away from the sometimes grumpy head honcho, Hayao Miyazaki).
Instead, this is simply a very gentle documentary, much in the same way that Hayao Miyazaki's films are largely soothing (at least 80-90% of the time). His worldview is also fascinating - sometimes dark, but almost always honest and understandable. Some of his musings on life reminded me of Agnes Varda's documentaries, in a good way, where part of what made her such a great documentary filmmaker was the way she let the viewer appreciate and understand her unique creative outlook on life. Miyazaki himself didn't direct this, but The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness gives him a similar opportunity to present such thoughts and feelings.
It's been out for 10 years, so anyone who's a fan of Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata (who's definitely not in this as much as I thought he'd be) has probably already seen it. Much of the focus is on The Wind Rises, which makes me feel like I should revisit it. I'm definitely keen to see his newest film, whenever that gets released outside Japan.
Also, I did love Ushiko, the cat that hangs around Studio Ghibli (but still generally stays away from the sometimes grumpy head honcho, Hayao Miyazaki).