I’m surprised every time I watch this movie: surprised by how stark and sudden are its moments of sadness, of awe, of joy. What makes Miyazaki’s films so magical is how subtle he can be, and how crafty. Kiki’s despair at discovering the frayed relationships between people (her horror at witnessing the ungratefulness and indifference of a girl to the gift her grandmother poured her energy into making) is one of the most wrenching and beautiful things I’ve ever seen in a movie. Miyazaki does not need to exaggerate the plot to make the moment powerful. I’ve never found a better director at depicting the immensity of our private worlds, and communicating what enormous things are at stake in everyday things.
