Spirited Away

Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics

We are used to entering cinematic fantasy worlds in which we learn the rules of how the world works and then watch our hero navigate through it: think of Star Wars, Dune, The Matrix, and The Wizard of Oz, and Lord of the Rings. But Spirited Away (2001) works differently than these, with a logic that seems just out of reach and which we, like the hero, try to discern. Join Mike and Dan for an appreciation of a film about childhood that works like the real thing; the film feels as if it were created by children, and they mean that as the highest compliment. Along the way, the guys talk about left brain / right brain film structure and how Spirited Away resembles John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. So hop on the train with No-Face, and give it a listen!

Interested in a short critical study of the film? Check out Andrew Osmond’s volume in the BFI Film Classics series.

Follow us on X or Letterboxd. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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