The Boy and the Heron ★★★★

After the release of The Wind Rises in 2013, Hayao Miyazaki announced his retirement from filmmaking. Since then however, he returned to direct the short film Boro the Caterpillar and what could be his final feature-length film, The Boy and the Heron, recognized in Japan as How Do You Live? While the title is borrowed from Genzaburo Yoshino’s 1937 novel, the film’s connection to the novel is mostly thematic. Much of the film interweaves fantasy and autobiographical elements, standing apart from a direct adaptation of Yoshino’s work. As audiences convened en masse at London Film Festival, there was a tangible air of appreciation for Miyazaki’s latest – and possibly final – foray into his enchanting worlds.