As the title of my post makes clear, I've never found myself particularly attracted to cliché "environmentalist movie." This isn't, of course, because I don't care about the environment or think that it is worth saving, but because I feel that most of such movies stumble into one, fatal pitfall. Too often, in stories in which the fate of a forest or lake hang in the balance, the human populous who threaten it are depicted solely as cruel, greedy, and dark. Usually they are motivated by money-- Sometimes they have no goal whatsoever. But it is always the work of a single, sympathetic protagonist (the human who, despite his awful upbringing, sees the beauty of nature in defiance of greater society) to enlighten his wayward companions and ultimately duke it out in an all-stakes battle with "the man." Usually, there is some preachy speech included in this fight, during which you will find invariably like this:
Now why, exactly, is this set up so worthy of an infinite face palm? Because the writers of such films seemed to have missed one, key fact-- They ARE humans. Sure, they may wish they were the deer they are so fond of, but the fact remains that they aren't, and they will never be. Why, as a member of our species, would the sole goal of your movie be to depict humans as irredeemable monsters, reasonlessly bent on destroying the natural world? While I won't deny that there are a few of these awful folks running around out there, the majority of us people are good at heart, and oftentimes our destruction of the environment is not mindless destruction, but an unintended consequence in our quest for survival. In fewer words, I very much despise the overused, "Monstrous Humans Vs. Noble Natural World" plot line. The truth is there are two sides to that coin.
And that is precisely what I appreciated so much about Princess Mononoke. Having seen the movie in passing a year or two back, I didn't recall much of the plot and was wholly expecting it to take a nosedive down the boring route I've just described. I'm glad to say I was pleasantly surprised.
Yes, we do see the evils of human industrialization. It is the enormous bullet of a human gun which provides the inciting incident for the story and turns Nago the boar into a hideous demon intend on trampling Ashitaka's tiny village. The Ironworks mar a once-beautiful mountainside. Lady Eboshi's penchant for shooting and her somewhat cold decision to not search for fallen soldiers can be seen as calling out to the "Monstrous Human" I laid out in earlier paragraphs. But in all these situations, we see the goodness that stems from each incident as well. When facing Nago, Ashitaka attempts to reason with him first, and only when seeing his family threatened does he resort to violence. He displays a nobleness, understanding, and sense of self-sacrifice that would not be present in the human character of the cliché environmentalist movie. While it could be argued that Ashitaka is the singular, sympathetic youth of said narrative, a short view of his hometown quickly proves this otherwise. We see not only one, but many, many people, who both use and respect nature. In respects to the Ironworks, while it has certainly ruined some part of the natural world, we also see how it provides vital support for the many people that live there. It provides safety and work for its inhabitants, most notably the woman, who previously worked in brothels. In this situation, the Ironworks is clearly the preferable choice. Even Lady Eboshi, who early on may be seen as cold and cruel, is depicted as having taken mercy on those who suffer from horrible diseases that would normally leave them as outcasts. She has "constructed Tatara as a utopian refuge for outcast woman and people with incurable diseases like leprosy" (Napier 235). Even Eboshi's militaristic ways are seen to have some positive effect, in that her training allows the women to protect the Ironworks from the samurai in the climax of the movie.
Similarly, we see both the good and the bad sides of the Natural world. Though motivated by a human impetus, we find out later on that Nago essentially allowed himself to become a demon by allowing hatred to consume him (This becomes something of a catchphrase for our hero Ashitaka, who repeatedly shows both sides of the cast his cursed arm and implores them to "See what hatred does!"). This is further emphasized later in the movie, when we see another boar god undergo the same transformation, though it is this time motivated more by delusion and grief than hatred. San, a human girl raised by wolves, is said to "detest all things human and live only to destroy human society" (Napier 235). While she seems a kind enough soul, the fact that she is motivated primarily by contempt and seeks primarily destruction belies a fundamental flaw in both her and her wolf brethren. Their repeated attacks of the Ironworks often seem merciless and unnecessary. Another depiction of the dark side of nature is that of the tribe of the apes, who request to eat Ashitaka at one point and whose dark, red-eyed design clear represents something eerie and demonic. But perhaps the most striking image of a nature's good-bad-dynamic in the film is the deer god himself, who is simultaneously both a god of life, capable of healing deathly wounds and giving health to the forest, but also a god of death, able to kill things at a touch and ultimately the monstrous centerpiece of an apocalyptic final act.
As noted by Napier, this sense of uncertainty carries on into the ending. While Ashitaka believes "The deer god can't die. He is life itself," San seems wary to believe his claims. Though both clearly love each other, Ashitaka's kindness alone is not enough to free San from her anti-human prejudices. But we find happily that nature is restored and that Lady Eboshi has learned the error of her ways (Napier 236). Thus the ending is decidedly neutral, though it may appear happy in light of the disastrous preceding scenes.
The fact that the movie is willing to consider not only the preciousness of nature but the validity of the human need allowed me to enjoy it far more than I expected. Rather than the tedious "Monstrous Human vs. Noble Natural World" dichotomy, we are served with a beautiful, and ultimately more relatable depiction of the goods and evils that come from either position. And that, I think, deserves a high-five.
UP NEXT: GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES
EXPECT MORE LONG WINDEDNESS AND RANDOM GIFS
YUP
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