110: Spirited Away by SASF

Time to discuss a movie that's on both Brian and Nate's Top-10 list: Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away." (Consider this a bonus LAMPC, because Nate won't let it be a real one.) But first, a quick follow-up from a listener regarding Slumdog Millionaire: Does Salim's sacrifice make him a Jesus figure? To help answer this, remember the SASF rule that if you can't understand WHY a villain did what they did, they're a cardboard character (i.e., bad). Next, let's address the elephant in the room: Is Spirited Away too weird to be good? What's with the pig transformation and the jumping heads and the big baby and the stink spirit? Don't get caught looking at the ornamentation of the story -- Spirited Away is Japanese art layered on top of western story structure. The combo is wholesome enough for parenting lessons. And what's even better, Miyazaki also has the film work as a post-war investigation of Japan -- all set in a spirit bathhouse. Last teaser: one of Nate's favorite stills in all of cinematography is in this movie.
#sasf #StoriesAreSoulFood #SpiritedAway #Miyazaki #StudioGhibli #stinkspirit #bathhouse