From up on Poppy Hill

Hayao Miyazaki wrote but did not direct From up on Poppy Hill. It was directed by his son, Goro Miyazaki, and the animation is of a different style--much more realistic and nostalgic--than Miyazaki pere's. Also, it has no supernatural elements. The script could easily have been shot as a live action film.

From up on Poppy Hill takes place in 1963 in Yokohama. Japan, still licking wounds from the war, has the next summer Olympics, and everyone is eager to forget the past and embrace the new. Umi, a high school girl, takes care of the boarding house owned by her grandmother, as her mother is studying in America and her father was lost at sea during the Korean War. Umi, though, still raises signal flags in hopes of somehow contacting him.

She meets a boy at her school, Shun, who is fighting to keep a dilapidated clubhouse, dubbed the Latin Quarter, from being razed. This clubhouse, a sort of fraternity, is home to the nerds and eggheads of the school, including a one-boy Philosophy Club. Umi takes a shine to Shun, and she and her younger sister help out in the cause.

Some paternity issues make their relationship problematic--Shun himself says it's "a cheap melodrama," and the Miyazaki's almost apologize for the plot contrivance.

This is a charming, lovely film that both presents a sensitive view of young love and a country that is turning a bend. The animation has a nostalgic glow, and everything looks warm and safe, as our memories of our childhoods look.

The English-language version of the film has an abundance of American stars, including Anton Yelchin as Shun and Sarah Bolger (well, she's Irish) as Umi, and they are joined by Gillian Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christina Hendricks, Beau Bridges, Chris Noth, and Bruce Dern.