Tonight's Movie: Only Yesterday (1991)

Last night it was wonderful to attend my first Fathom Events Studio Ghibli Fest screening in the last few years.

The movie was ONLY YESTERDAY (1991), directed by Isao Takahata and filmed by Hisao Shirai.

It's the story of Taeko (Miki Imai), a young secretary from Tokyo embarking on a vacation in the country. (Spoiler alert, I will be discussing the plot of this 31-year-old film in its entirety.)

In parallel to the adult Taeko's story we see Taeko as a misfit 10-year-old (Yoko Honna). Young Taeko struggles with math, and some of her emotional struggles frustrate her strict father (Masahiro Ito); Taeko finds a talent in acting, but her father forbids her to accept an invitation to appear in a community play.

Despite her problems, Taeko grows up to be a well-adjusted adult who loves the countryside. During her time on a farm she gets to know an in-law's distant cousin, Toshio (Toshiro Yanagiba), who seems to understand her well.

In a scene straight out of an Ozu film Toshio's grandmother asks Taeko to stay on the farm and marry Toshio. Taeko is shocked but starts to realize how much she likes Toshio, though as the film nears its end she still gets on the train to head back to her job in Tokyo...

It took me a while to figure this movie out, as it zipped back and forth in time; watching the film was a bit like working a puzzle, with the ultimate completion feeling rewarding.

I did struggle a bit with the sadness of Taeko's childhood, and indeed, it's hard to see a "through line" from there to how she became such a positive young woman. It's difficult to watch the small, crushing moments she experiences, whether it's her sister belittling her inability to understand fractions or a teacher discouraging her from improvising in a play.

I frankly also could have done without the extended, unpleasant sequence on puberty, which seems to anticipate TURNING RED (2022) by three decades.

In contrast to the childhood scenes, there is great beauty in the country sequences Taeko experiences as an adult, in terms of both animation and emotions. The visuals are exquisite, and I loved Taeko's enthusiasm for life on the farm. I also enjoyed her confident interactions with Toshio and the ease they had with one another discussing issues big and small.

As Taeko boarded a train back to the city near movie's end, promising to return in the winter, and the end credits began, I felt a sense of dissatisfaction that the movie was ending on such an ambiguous note, just as Taeko seemed to be discovering what really made her happy.

And then something magical happened: Accompanied by a Japanese rendition of Amanda McBroom's "The Rose," Taeko, cheered on by her 10-year-old self and former schoolmates, decides to get off the train and heads back to the farm.

The emotional payoff here at the conclusion of the film's 119 minutes, as Taeko makes peace with the past and claims her adult chance at happiness, led to tears rolling down my cheeks and made it all worthwhile.

It's a moment of such life-affirming beauty -- perhaps I can compare it to the ending of I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! (1945) -- that it causes me to recommend the film despite my issues with some of the childhood scenes. I won't forget that profound ending or my emotional response to it for quite a while.

ONLY YESTERDAY is available in a Blu-ray/DVD combination set.

Previous reviews of Japanese animation: CASTLE IN THE SKY (1986), MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988), HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (2004), THE WIND RISES (2013), YOUR NAME. (2016), IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD (2016), MIRAI (2018).

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