Whisper of the Heart

Yoshifumi Kondo's Whisper of the Heart (1995) is something a little different from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Rather than being centered around fantasy or mystical environments, this is a simple real-world story about one 14-year-old girl's growth and emotional maturity, hitting all the right tonal notes of young attraction and love.

Miyazaki wrote the screenplay, where Shizuku Tsukishima, a gifted translator and voracious reader, realizes that everything she takes out from the library has also been taken out by a Seiji Amasawa, a young violin maker. Naturally, the two are unknowingly brought together, spite each other, realize the truth about one another, and slowly discover the truth that resides in their heart about the other. That these scenes never become melodramatic or sentimental is a testament to Miyazaki's writing and Kondo's direction.

This film is, principally, about honesty and integrity, about following one's dreams no matter the obstacle. And while these ideas are certainly nothing new for children's films, the manner in which Kondo explores them demonstrates a sophistication that is echoed in the characters themselves. Full of vibrance and tangents that allow for a deeper psychological resonance with the characters, Whisper of the Heart builds to a climax that is heartwarming, beautiful, and simply pure perfection.

The honesty in which Miyazaki and Kondo deal with Shizuku's emotions, then, becomes the central success of the film. All of her feelings are transposed through the eye of the camera, letting us experience her frustration, budding desire for Seiji, and finally idyllic devotion to him. It is, simply put, a masterpiece of young human emotion.

Whisper of the Heart: 10/10