ONLY YESTERDAY

Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata often operated as a kind of balance to Hayao Miyazaki, doing away with the visual and narrative touchstones of the studio’s other work. In the case of Only Yesterday, he left behind fantastical tales and lavish backdrops for something more minimalist. As the film explores Taeko’s life as a 27-year-old and a ten-year-old, its dual perspectives are divided by its approach to drawing both character and background, Takahata arguably being even more interested than Miyazaki in how even the most minute details of the form can project or evoke differing emotions. The little injustices of years long past are given both a different visual style and the utmost attention; and Takahata shows great patience as well as empathy no matter how serious the drama. A very different Ghibli movie, but among the studio’s best.