You
could definitely say this film is more honest than the Caspar cartoons, but it
forthrightly acknowledges the ghosts of young children imply something quite
sad. Alas, nobody knows bereavement better than the title character. She lost
her parents in a freak auto accident, so she now lives at her grandmother’s country
hotel. Much to her surprise, the ghosts she finds there might help her reach
some closure in Kitaro Kosaka’s Okko’s
Inn, which has two special screenings next week via Fathom Events and GKIDS.
Oriko
“Okko” Seki had picture perfect parents, so their sudden death leaves her
reeling. Nevertheless, she is still resilient enough to try to make the best of
it when her stern grandmother takes her in. She quickly makes friends with
Uri-bo, a little boy ghost who has silently watched over her grandmother since
she was a young girl. She has more trouble with Miyo Akino, another young
ghosty, who is, or rather was the older sister of Okko’s new rival, Matsuki
Akino, the heir apparent of a tony resort nearby.
Actually,
Uri-bo and Miyo can both be a little annoying at times, but the film (based on
Hiroko Reijo’s YA novels) still has a massive and infectious heart. When Okko
really comes to terms with the circumstances of her parents’ death, you are
absolutely guaranteed to get a little choked up (or maybe a lot). As an added
bonus, Okko’s relationship with Matsuki evolves in ways that are somewhat
surprising, but definitely rewarding and smart.
The
animation of Madhouse (the studio that produced Summer Wars and Paprika)
is not quite at the level of Studio Ghibli or the best of Makoto Shinkai, but
it is still quite lovely. There is some goofy bedlam with the young ghosts that
could have been reigned in a little, but there is no doubt this film connects
on an emotional level. In fact, Reiko Yoshida’s screenplay adaptation of Reijo’s
novels is shrewdly crafted to maximize the dramatic whammies.
