From Up on Poppy HillFrom Up on Poppy Hill
(2011)
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From Up on Poppy Hill

A group of teens in Yokohama try to save their school clubhouse before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

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Why watch this film?

This is the second film by Gorō Miyazaki (son of Hayao Miyazaki) with Studio Ghibli, with much better results than his first feature film, 'Tales of Earthsea'. 'Kokuriko-zaka kara' leaves behind the fantastical worlds to tell us a more everyday and nostalgic story of modern Japan (making it more akin to Isao Takahata's films like 'Grave of the Fireflies'), specifically in the period of recovery after the devastating Second World War, with the country preparing for the 1964 Olympics and amidst growing student activism (a phenomenon observed in many parts of the world during the decade). Underneath the surface, the film is not just about teenagers searching for their identity, but about a country in the same process, struggling between tradition and modernity in a new era. It is undoubtedly a much slower-paced film than Ghibli's more famous fantasy offerings, but it is a beautiful and nostalgic story that rewards the patience needed for its slower pace.

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Plot summary

A group of Yokohama teens look to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

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