Only Yesterday (1991) Dir: Isao Takahata
- Ridley Coote
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
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Over the course of my life, I have watched and fallen in love with the majority of Studio Ghibli's many animated productions. However, this one, from Isao Takahata, had thus far gone unwatched by me to this point. That felt like something that needed rectifying sooner than later, and I was more than motivated to explore its emotional depths.
I liked the unique art style used for the scenes featuring the younger protagonist's memories. It was very different to the typical Ghibli art style, which has become so iconic over the years, although I did very much enjoy it all the same. It gave those flashbacks an unorthodox but definitively dreamlike feeling, which was perfectly akin to one's childhood, as well as to slightly faded memories.
As I had anticipated, considering who made the film, it was rich in thematic and emotional texture. Ghibli always seeks to explore the themes of growth, nostalgia, change, memories, and grief, and they were as ever-present as always. The film also delved into another consistent feature of the great master's work; nature. On this occasion, it explored agriculture and how it impacts the relationship between humanity and nature. It was very interesting, albeit, perhaps not quite as impactful as other Ghibli films.
The story was slow and gradual, but no-less riveting than some other Ghibli films. Films like this can often struggle to maintain focus and even pacing, but I thought this one felt fairly consistent across the board. It had a soft rhythm to it, and the various cuts between past and present broke up the film into very digestible portions. It didn't affect me as strongly as some of my favourite Ghibli films, but I could still appreciate the message it provided.
Daisy Ridley and Alison Fernandez brought two different yet equally enjoyable approaches to their respective portrayals of the film's protagonist. Ridley's poise and maturity complimented, and yet diverged, nicely from that of Fernandez, whose own performance was both sweet and eloquent. Much to my surprise, I didn't really like the voice acting of Dev Patel, which is such a shame, because I am usually such a fan of Patel's work. For whatever reason, this performance just felt so forced and inauthentic.
Overall, I thought this was a rather sweet and touching animated drama. I wouldn't say it ranks among my favourite films from the iconic Japanese studio, but that makes it no-less enjoyable in a more general sense. It certainly deserves at least one viewing from those who enjoy Ghibli's more acclaimed films. I'm glad I took the time to watch it, even if it wasn't quite as strong as other Ghibli films.
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