There is a big difference between watching Mamoru Hosoda's works and watching other directors' works, that is, when the story of the film ends, the protagonist's life really begins. Whether it's the young people in Summer Wars, or the different paths of survival chosen by Rain and Snow, the sons of wolves, to the departure of a great father in Sons of Monsters, the adventures the protagonists experience in the story become their future. Enlightenment for a more exciting life. This makes people look forward to it and imagine what they will do in the future. This small perception is not even seen in Miyazaki's works.
After performing youthful couples and loving siblings, Mamoru Hosoda this time focuses on the relationship between father and son. This may be related to the lack of fatherly love in Hosoda Mori himself in childhood. His descriptions of Lian (Jiu Tai)'s human father, both affectionate and distant, and his description of the monster Xiong Tetsu as both father and teacher, actually reveal a rich but uncertain understanding of the father's role. This may be the reason why most of the content in the first part of the film is boring and simple to the audience, but it is very precious and important to Hosoda Mori.
What Xiong Che taught Jiutai was nothing more than some boxing skills, but what he gave Jiutai was the love and companionship that a life needs most. It is this kind of love that transcends ethnic groups that dissolves Lian's loneliness and finally fills the black hole in her heart.
Moby Dick, written by Herman Melville, tells the story of Captain Ahab's mad pursuit of a beluga whale that devoured one of his legs and eventually perished with it. The description of "Moby Dick" in the film is that the captain is fighting against the white whale who symbolizes himself. As a human being who studied art in the monster world, and as an individual swallowed by black holes and shadows, Lian involuntarily asked the question "How can I defeat him (Ichirohiko)". The film imagines human loneliness and the fear, rejection and revenge of loneliness after getting rid of loneliness, and imagines it as a white whale that needs to be overcome by itself, and a black hole that needs to be cut off by the sword of its own heart. This image is very profound and enlightening.
Of course, it is not only Xiong Che's love that fills the black hole in Jiutai's heart, but also the human girl Feng's. If the son of a wolf tells the story of a wolf child raised by humans, then the son of a monster is the story of a human child raised by a monster, so he must face a return to the human world. Unlike his predecessor, Hayao Miyazaki, who is familiar with children's roles, Hosoda Mori likes to portray young people very much. A picture full of stillness in the library and a few simple lines of dialogue can make the inner collision between the two young people. so turbulent. The ambiguous love at first sight reflects the rudiment of another great love in life other than family love.
Jiu Tai's return to the human world is greatly simplified, not as simple as adding knowledge. He should have a richer story to tell about human fathers, the opposite sex, and even society. But the short duration of the film is simply unable to accommodate these things, which is a great pity. In fact, Xiong Che is not alone. There are two monsters accompanying him all the time. Even when he came to the world, he was accompanied by someone. However, its debauchery style is not loved and recognized by people. The film set up a lot of apprentices for him, but it is actually not in line with this character's personality. At the same time, Ichirohiko was full of compassion when he was young, and why he became so dark when he grew up, it still makes people question.
Animation Film Critics Club inside
View more about The Boy and the Beast reviews
