CINE•FILES: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

By Ellis Boran

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is another amazing film by the Japanese writer/director Hayao Miyazaki. This movie is about Nausicaa, a young woman who risks her life to protect her home in the Valley of the Wind from a toxic jungle.

The complicated part of the story is that, even though the jungle is toxic, Nausicaa doesn’t believe that destroying the jungle is right — She would rather keep it so that a community of seemingly threatening, giant insects can live in peace.

The movie does a great job of explaining what’s happening by having the characters talk to themselves about events that have been occurring. The script was very unique, even for the already unique world of anime. I did feel some of the characters seemed like they were only there to back up other characters. I personally have nothing against this, but others might believe it’s not a good way of expressing characters’ roles in a movie.

Another element I questioned is that time periods crossed over each other. People used ninja-style swords while others had high-tech guns, tanks and airships. It just didn’t seem realistic, though I understand it was in a futuristic setting (1,000 years after the fall of industrial society) and things might be intentionally farfetched.

Other than these minor issues, this was a unique and epic film. I would recommend this movie to people who prefer animated movies or people who are fans of Miyazaki’s films.

(This article appears courtesy Olympia Film Society.)

WHAT

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

WHEN

11 a.m. Saturday,s Aug. 3-31

WHERE

Capitol Theater,
206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia

HOW MUCH

Free for kids 12 and under

LEARN MORE

360-754-6670

olympiafilmsociety.org

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