Spirited Away

The movie “Spirited Away” by the great master of Japanese animation, Hayao Miyazaki, suggested the title for this chapter. If you wished to get as far away as possible from the reality of your day-to-day life, movies like Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro” would likely present the most enchanting destinations.

This chapter discusses movies that transport us to previously unknown destinations. The movie “Pather Panchali” by the great master of Indian cinema, Satyagit Ray, for example, transports us to a rural village in India in the 1920‘s. Village life is austere and difficult but also filled with joy and love. Agnes Varda’s beautiful “La Pointe Courte” is set in a small Mediterranean fishing village. You will see the fishermen ply their ancient trade. Boats are caulked and nets are repaired and dried.

I use movies as reference points to help me think about the world. As you watch movies from around the world, you will see that the world is much bigger and more interesting than you realized. You will come to understand that people all over the world are facing the very same problems that you are facing.

I have always loved movies set in foreign countries because I enjoy the unfamiliar sights and sounds. Woody Allen’s movie “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” for example, takes us along the golden, sunlit sidewalks of Barcelona. I look at the sidewalk cafes and I think, “I wish I were there!” In movies set in France, to take another example, I love the way trees are planted in rows along the road sides.

When I was in my twenties, I traveled across Europe by train. When the train passed through towns and cities, it often passed behind houses and businesses. I peeked into backyards and looked at laundry hanging on clothes lines, at flower gardens, and at people sitting outside. I just couldn’t get over how different everything looked compared to America!

Through movies you can experience situations you would likely never encounter in real life. What is it like to be homeless? Experience homelessness in Agnes Varda’s haunting “Vagabond.” Have you ever wondered what it would be like to escape from prison? Robert Bresson’s “A Man Escaped” will keep you on the edge of your seat. In Wim Wenders’ masterpiece, “Wings of Desire,” you will see angels standing on street corners, suspended between this world and the hereafter. There is no limit to the worlds that can be created in movies!

When asked to describe contemporary society, Samuel Beckett, the author of the existential masterpiece “Waiting for Godot,” answered, “A long scream in the halls of a hospital.” Movies offer a temporary escape from the terrible reality in which we find ourselves.