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So, the day hasn't come for me to get the queer characters I crave from the studios I love. but my little gay girls! All that build up! The hugging, faces flushed, after whirling in a romantic dance by the cove! It just wasn't meant to be. Even I have to admit that the final relationship between Anna and Marnie, despite being decidedly platonic, is heartwarming. But. Turmoil is resolved, hope for the future is established, wounds are healed. The ending, frustrating as it was for someone who wants to see the romance she's waited for since childhood, was solid.
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Without spoiling the ending, I'll just say that the Anna/Marnie duo (or my ship name for them, Manna, as in "manna from Heaven") is morally unshippable, and not for reasons of queerdom.Ĭome on, Ghibli! You dangle this delight, this possible equivalent of all your spectacular and endearing boy/girl pairs, in front of my face, and yank it away in a sudden twist? Queer-baiting isn't cool. Which is why it was so frustrating to watch my ship strike an iceberg in the plot. We get to see hundreds of straight characters kiss across all kinds of media every day. Cartoons, commercials, billboards, romcoms, action movies, on the damn street! But a gay couple? That's too edgy, not for children, too sexually weighted, immoral and inappropriate. These two profess their love for each other, for crying out loud! My fiancé, Kelsey, and I were literally chanting for them to kiss. So when Anna - a character I relate to in many ways regardless of sexuality - holds hands and blushes with Marnie, I get hyped as hell. I see myself in them, a piece of my story that I don't really see with heteromantic pairs. Trust me, I ship as many straight couples as any other internet nerd, but there's something different when I get the chance to ship a cannon queer couple. The point is, lesbians, bisexual, and pansexual women don't get to see many stories about themselves that have happy endings.
#When marnie was there ending movie
Two women get it on in the middle of the movie for no real reason.
#When marnie was there ending full
Or it will be a weird, ambiguous ending, full of melancholy and wide shots of gray landscapes. Two women in a foreign country fall for each other. Straight-up pornography for consumption by straight dudes fantasizing that the two unrealistic-looking ladies giving each other sloppy kisses and licking magically hairless genitals will proceed to pleasure him once they're done scissoring (which is not a thing). All of the dude's friends are turned on by this. The other kills herself.Īverage straight white dude converts a foxy, free-spirited lesbian to the wonderful world of heteronormativity. One dies or is converted and winds up with a husband. Apparently bisexuality isn't a thing either? One of them will die or return to her husband at the end of the film. Two "straight" women fall for each other. I mean, here are some typical lesbian film premises: Listen, we lesbians don't get a lot of positive screen time. Two gals being pals, doing typical pal stuff like holding hands, slow dancing, and proclaiming their love for each other. And the cherry on top? The two principle characters - Anna the self-hating, introspective protagonist and Marnie the adventurous and mysterious stranger - seem to have something romantic going on. I don't think two male characters are ever seen conversing at all!Īll of the above is enough to rank this movie near the top of my favorite Ghibli productions.
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In fact, I'm pretty sure this movie fails the reverse Bechdel Test, which means two male characters are never seen talking about any subject other than a woman. As always, Ghibli handles its female characters in ways American studios (animation or otherwise) would be wise to emulate. The animation is fluid and flawless (don't get me started on how the food is rendered). The subtle expressions draw you into the psyche of the protagonist, who is a complex, realistic young woman. Like I said, Ghibli creates wonders, and Marnie is no exception. Which is why When Marnie Was There felt like such a slap in the face. Unlike many Western films, Ghibli movies can have romances that don't dominate the story and that actually seem believable. It's easy to feel like you know these characters personally, and you root for them to succeed. These are films of love, adventure, friendship, kindness, environmental awareness, the meaning of family (and that family can be a very broad term). The messages in these movies are valuable for people of all ages and cultures. The fantastical stories, the breathtaking visuals, the music you can feel in your heart, the characters you never want to leave. I will defend Studio Ghibli to the death for its incredible contributions to cinema.