
Last night, I was watching a youtube video entitled “Understanding Spirited Away: Consumption and Identity.” The author, Margarita, describes herself as a lifelong cinephile with an MA in film and philosophy who make video essays. Spirited Away, an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki, is one of my favorite movies and tells the story of a 10 year old girl whose parents are moving her to a new city just as she is moving from young childhood to girlhood. I haven’t watched the whole movie in a long time but the first bars of the soundtrack can strike an emotional cord at any time. In her video essay, Margarita highlights the liminality of the story and of course, that peeked my interest. Continue reading