This film is absolutely beautiful. It manages to tell a great mystery and a great relationship while keeping the Ghibli type of great soundtrack and visuals that will blow anyone away. First of all, this movie is one of the most visually striking Studio Ghibli movies I've ever seen. The animation isn't movement-based like in a film like The Wind Rises. Instead, it's more focused on a still. The still marsh or the still feelings of a character. That doesn't mean that when the film goes into a lot of movement it's bad as it's the exact opposite. Everything about the animation, the color choices, and the backgrounds are just beautiful. Just look at this still from the movie.
Though the animation and art is brilliant, what really gets me is the relationships between the characters. Anna is a blatantly depressed pre-teen with a lot of social anxiety. She comes to her foster-mother's sister's house to get away from everything and to fix her asthma problem. When she arrives she meets her eccentric 'foster-aunt' and her husband that bring her in with open arms. Though these two characters don't get a whole lot of screen time in the grand scheme of things, they are still very fun people who know how to get along with people.
The main pull of the film, obviously, is the relationship between Anna and Marnie. Without spoiling anything, their relationship growth is extremely well paced and has a very natural feeling. At the start of Anna's vacation, she feels alone and Marnie is there to fill a gap in her life that she doesn't have: a friend. As the plot progresses, however, Anna learns of Marnie's past and soon has to comfort her. It's a constant push and pull that feels very natural. It feels very natural when the voice acting isn't getting in the way, at least. This is the only minor problem that I have with the film. I don't know if the voice actors were just directed badly or if it was just some of the actors phoning it in. It isn't too bad or too distracting; just noticeable.
The music of the film is, obviously, amazing. When Marnie Was There was Takatsugu Muramatsu's first score for an animated film and he hasn't scored too many movies but it is still absolutely beautiful. And to anyone who has seen the movie, I want to hug whoever chose the song for the end credits.
Is the film about a young teen trying to get over her anxiety and depression? Yes. Is it about a young teen secretly wanting to forgive someone that she loves? Yes. Is the film secretly about Anna accepting her sexuality? Well, that's a story for another day.
When Marnie Was There is a beautiful, wonderful, fantastical experience.
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