Analyzing the Film Spirited Away - Essay Example

Film Analysis: Spirited Away The primary focus in this paper is analyzing the film called Spirited Away. This is a 2001 film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, with main actor a young girl called Chihiro. This little girl moves to the country with her parents, but the parents get lost on the way, and end up in a mysterious tunnel, which they do not recognize as an entrance to the spirit world. In this place, there is a bathhouse, a place where all the spirit gods come to rest and relax. It is on this place that Chihiro’s parents end up, and unfortunately, they turn into pigs. She must find a way of rescuing her parents lest they also turn into spirits. As she wanders along, she meets another boy, Haku, who claims to have known her since she was little. This is where the real adventure begins as she plots a way to enter the bathhouse and get some job to do. Haku organizes the entire plan, and in the end, Chihiro gets a job in the bathhouse. There are rules to follow in the spirit world, and Yubaba is the witch who oversees all activities in the bathhouse. The unfolding nature of the above events to the point where Chihiro rescues her parents is in a direct relation to the ideas expressed in the short story, “The Ways We Lie.” This paper analyzes three main elements in the story, and they include; characters, motifs and themes, and the setting in relation to ideas in “The Ways We Lie.” The Film’s Setting The producers behind Spirited Away paid more attention to the consistency in the film’s setting. Generally, this film has a social setting, even though there are also elements of geographical settings, as well. The social setting, in this case, focuses on how producers present the characters, and the consistency with which they do this work. For instance, there is a clear depiction of class difference in the spirit world. As evident, Yubaba has an unending aura of richness around her even when she is just sitting on the bathtub. She adores classy and trendy dressing, which other people in the spirit world do not have. This comes from the fact that she is the overall leaders of all activities in the bathhouse. Chihiro, on the other hand, maintains her aura of being plain and straightforward. Even when Yubaba changes her name to Sen, she does not assume the characters they expect of her in the bathhouse. However, she understands the rules in maintaining her job at the bathhouse. In this regard, the ideas expressed in “The Ways We Lie” do not apply to her case. She does not see the sense in assuming a character she is not for the sake of her good. The environment in which she works is also simpler than the entire bathhouse. Despite the lushness of the bathhouse, she has the mandate to clean the big tub lying alone in an empty room. In this room, she transforms an ungainly, huge, polluted spirit into the idea of simplicity. Furthermore, even all her meals are shear expression of simplicity in her character. For these reasons, the entire setting of this film focuses on social aspects of the plot and characters therein. Themes and Motifs This film depicts blurred distinction between good and evil as its primary theme.In this film, almost all characters are a mix of both evil and good deeds. Even the admirable characters, such as No-Face and Haku, have some amount of evil qualities. Similarly, some characters who seem bad and undesirable at the beginning of the film such as Kamaji, Zeniba and Lin, all becomes somehow useful in Chihiro’s escape.This is a clear indication of the fact that people have to possess different characteristics depending on the situation. The above idea is completely in line with the claims in the story, “The Ways We Lie.” In this story, Ericsson states that the truth would sometimes cause more damage than a simple harmless untruth (Ericsson 1). This is what he calls the white lie, and it is necessary for survival in the society. The above form of deceit comes with no regrets, and the individual does so due to circumstances. Blurred line between evil and good is a much more smart reflection of the events in the real world outside this film. This follows the fact that people make lies because they are pushed and further because they have to deal with certain unfortunate situations. Sen utilizes her act of goodness, and this achieves latent good in everyone with whom she interacts. The only character she fails to change with her character is Yubaba who is very adamant and adores the rules in spirit world. Moreover, the film Spirited Away shows greed and rules as the most outstanding motifs. With greed, it is evident that both spirits and humans are greedy, and this leads to their destruction. Chihiro is initially greedy for her parents’ attention, being the spoilt girl. Worse still the greed in her parents lead them to eat unwanted food, which turns them into pigs. In this way, the element of greed successfully explains the ordeals that characters face in the film. Furthermore, the workers in the bathhouse are too greedy to realize the good things in their midst, as presented by Chihiro. Greed goes hand in hand with lies, and this is in line with expressions by Ericsson in the story, “The Ways We Lie.” In addition, the idea of rules also exists in the spirit world. Initially, Haku guides Sen into the bathhouse and warns her not to breath or else Yubaba detects her presence. Even the most prolific leaders such as Yubaba adhere to some rules. Characters Chihiro, Yubaba, and Haku are the main characters in the film and contribute significantly to plot development. Chihiro is a little girl overprotected and spoilt by her parents. Initially, she opposes her parent’s decision to move to a new town. However, beneath her stubbornness, there is a wealth of wisdom, which comes out later in the film. For instance, she refuses to eat the food in the abandoned park, which unfortunately turns her parents into pigs. The characters of Chihiro do not change, and she remains the simple obedient little girl throughout the film. Haku, on the other hand, appears older than Sen. He has mixed reactions regarding the life in bathhouse, and feels he has a home outside the bathhouse, as well. He is kind towards Sen and successfully organizes for her escape. The characters of Haku changes as the story progresses, and he acts in line with Ericsson’s idea that some lies are necessary for survival. The saddest thing is that he cannot remember his name, which means he is eternally under Yubaba’s control. Conclusion Indeed, the above analysis is a correct depiction of the events in the film, Spirited Away. The way events unfold points to the fact that producers of this film had much effort in achieving consistency in all aspects. This analysis focuses on three main elements in the film, and they include; characters, themes and motifs, and the film setting.The characters are primary tools used to develop the entire plot, and three main characters in the film are Chihiro, Yubaba, and Haku. Chihiro appears to be the hero and gainer of all events as everything revolves around her. The film has a social setting with clear distinction between Yubaba’s class and other people in the bathhouse, including Chihiro. However, this does not change Chihiro’s character one bit. The above analysis also compares events with the claims in Ericsson’s story, “Ways We Lie.” Some characters, such as Haku and Zeniba have to tell les to survive and help other people while Chihiro sticks to her personality. Works Cited Ericsson, Stephanie. The Ways We Lie: 50 Essays. New York: Bedford Books, 2013. Miyazaki, Hayo. Sen and Chihiro’s Spiriting Away, 2001. Web 09, December 2013 Read More