Released in Japan in 1991 and in North America in 2016, Only Yesterday tells the story of 27-year-old Taeko as she visits a relative’s farm in rural Japan and reminisces about her childhood, specifically the fifth grade. It has the distinction of being Studio Ghibli’s first film without any element of fantasy; it also has the distinction of being the first Studio Ghibli film to really leave me wanting more.
I’ve wondered if the two are linked; not in the sense that a non-fantasy drama had no chance with me, but in the sense that Studio Ghibli had some trouble transitioning from one to the other. Several of their films that I’ve reviewed before now have had lackluster plots, but they more than made up for it with incredible animation and by infusing even the mundane with wondrous fantasy. Retaining the great animation but stripped of fantasy, Only Yesterday’s narrative doesn’t quite stand on its own. |
Don’t Get Me Wrong
This isn’t to say that Only Yesterday has nothing going for it. I can’t think of another movie that so accurately captures the highs and lows, the feelings of frustration and injustice that come with being a younger sibling. Particularly relatable was a scene where, after hyping up her whole family on pineapple, which none of them have ever tried, Taeko realizes that she doesn’t really like it, but continues eating out of spite. However, this scene also showcases how the film’s slowness can be absolutely excruciating; I didn’t time it, but I would not be surprised if the family sits around the table eating a pineapple in silence for ten minutes of screen time. It’s as if Studio Ghibli thought, “Well, this is a mature movie for adults, so it needs to be slow and thoughtful.” And sometimes that’s fine! One of my favorite shots of the movie, possibly even one of my favorite shots in the Ghibli canon so far, is a very slow shot of the sun rising over the fields that Taeko and her relatives are working in. It’s breathtaking, and the slowness makes sense. When it comes to most scenes, and especially comedy, though, many of this movie’s scenes fall flat because the timing just isn’t there — as in the aforementioned pineapple scene. Like Writing the Dictionary in Beautiful Calligraphy Even aside from the slowness, though, the movie still can’t be bothered to say anything. Taeko’s flashbacks contain a lot of cute, funny, relatable, and stirring moments; young Taeko is a very sympathetic protagonist, and even with minimal stakes I was very invested in her several short stories. The problem is that these stories gain nothing from their proximity to one another. They’re not even interwoven with any particular skill—why is the poor farmer kid nonexistent until it’s His Turn For An Anecdote? |
At least the flashbacks are generally entertaining, if too self-contained. The present-day narrative fails to make a case for its existence. I was a little disappointed that Daisy Ridley’s performance wasn’t more enjoyable, but I don’t think too much of the blame lies at her feet; she wasn’t given much to work with. The arc for adult Taeko consists of her wondering if she should stay in the countryside, instead of just visiting, but there’s no sense of how her memories contribute to this decision. The present-day scenes do include some of my favorite shots, most of which center on the beautiful Japanese countryside, but the adult Taeko doesn’t really do anything besides reminisce.
A Beautiful, Odd, and Unsatisfying Film In closing, and au contraire to how much of this review sounds, there’s a lot of good in this movie. If you’re a fan of slice-of-life dramas or slower-paced, thoughtful films, you’ll probably really enjoy Only Yesterday. The classroom scenes really are well done, and there’s (of course) a lot of beautiful animation on display. I even enjoyed learning a little about old-fashioned Japanese agriculture. Also? There’s some fantastic, weird music in this movie. That all being said, my complaints still stand. They went overboard on the slow pacing, and this movie has no narrative through-line even in comparison to other Studio Ghibli movies. I enjoyed pretty much all of the flashbacks in and of themselves, but the movie as a whole doesn’t feel coherent. PS: I make a point of not reading any reviews of these movies until I’ve finished writing my own, so I was astonished by the critical response to Only Yesterday when I finished this review and looked it up. Not only universally positive reviews, but widely acknowledged as a masterpiece? To each their own, I suppose. I was mostly just surprised that not a single person seemed to have a single point of criticism for the film. The closest I could find to criticism was The AV Club saying “Only Yesterday can sometimes seem a little too random in what it chooses to show, but it has a cumulative power as Taeko comes to understand that the past that shaped her needn’t define her.” Mind you, this quote comes after about a thousand words of unmitigated praise. Alternate Titles:
Stray Thoughts From My Notes:
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