When Marnie Was There (film)

"Marnie: Please, Anna, promise me something. That we'll remain a secret. Forever. Anna: Forever."

When Marnie Was There (Japanese 思い出のマーニー, literally Marnie of Memories) is a 2014 psychological drama film directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and animated by Studio Ghibli based on the novel of the same name by Joan G. Robinson. The rights were sold to Ghibli in spring 2012, and the novel gained a boost in sales following the film's release. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2015, but lost to Pixar's Inside Out. It is the last film to be produced before the restructuring of Studio Ghibli, and the last film for Yonebayashi before leaving Ghibli and joining Studio Ponoc.

When Marnie Was There follows the story of twelve year old Anna Sasaki, who, after an asthma attack, moves in with her foster parents' relatives Setsu and Kiyomasa Oiwa for the summer, where the air is cleaner. There, she meets Marnie, a mysterious girl who lives in the mansion near the marsh. The film focuses on Anna's interactions with Marnie, and Anna's growing self esteem arising from these interactions, as well as Anna's journey to uncover who Marnie really was.

Of course, being a Ghibli movie, the film has the studio-mandated rolling hills, lush green forests, Silence Is Golden, and Slice of Life moments. Being a psychological drama, it contains many Tear Jerker moments. Be aware. You should have a box of tissues nearby.


 * Aerith and Bob: You can tell whether a character is from the original book or created by Ghibli by their name. We have the standard English Anna and Marnie, but also Sayaka, the Oiwa family, and Hisako.
 * Anguished Declaration of Love: Happens during the last scene Marnie and Anna share, right when they are saying goodbye. "Anna: I love you, I love you, and I won't ever forget you. I'll never forget you, ever."


 * Apologises a Lot: Anna at the start of the film, who apologizes for costing her caregivers money.
 * Arcadia: Anna is sent to live this lifestyle to improve her health, frequently exploring the forest and beaches surrounding her new house.
 * Bait and Switch Lesbians: Although never explicitly stated in the marketing for the film, almost every sign in the film points to a potential relationship between Anna and Marnie. Then.
 * Blush Sticker: Anna frequently gets these, especially when she's with Marnie.
 * Bittersweet Ending:
 * The trope can also apply in real life. When Marnie Was There is Ghibli's last film that they produced before their restructuring, and shutting down their animation department. Its bittersweet ending, thus, makes the studio's farewell even more emotional.
 * Boyish Short Hair: Anna, having less traditionally feminine qualities than Marnie, has hair of shorter length.
 * Break the Cutie: Marnie is introduced as an innocent and friendly person, someone which Anna can become friends with. When she reveals her backstory, we can see that Marnie grew up innocently playing with Kazuhiko.
 * But Now I Must Go: During Anna and Marnie's last interaction, where Marnie asks for forgiveness. "Marnie: "Anna, I cannot stay here any longer, I have to say goodbye to you. So please, Anna, I need to hear that you forgive me.""


 * Character Development: Big time. Anna starts off as a self-doubting, insecure, and quiet person, who Apologises a Lot to the people around her for the tiniest things like costing them money to buy a new pencil. She is reclusive, and does not talk much to people. The social interactions that she does have ends quickly, sometimes with the other person being offended. By the end, after her adventures with Marnie, she becomes much more confident, and apologises to the people she has offended, and opens herself up to more people. She also made a friend, Sayaka, as a result of this development.
 * Childhood Friend Romance: Marnie reveals that she marries her childhood friend Kazuhiko in her backstory.
 * Childhood Friends: Marnie and Kazuhiko before the Childhood Friend Romance.
 * Anna and Sayaka becomes this while investigating who Marnie really was.
 * Coming of Age Story: The film focuses on Anna slowly gaining more self esteem through her interactions with Marnie, becoming a more confident person in the process.
 * Constantly Curious: Sayaka, who wants to find out who Marnie was after finding Marnie's diary within her room. When Anna first shows up outside the mansion, she asks Anna who "Marnie" was, and believes that she is Marnie.
 * Conveniently Interrupted Document: Marnie's diary, so audiences do not prematurely find about
 * Creative Closing Credits: The credits are imposed over a slideshow of backgrounds of the film, and it's very clear that Ghibli put a lot of work and effort into these backgrounds.
 * Dead All Along:
 * Dream Sequence: Anna has these of the mansion before meeting Marnie, identifiable by the foggy environment and slightly desaturated colours. In these sequences Anna is standing in the marsh in front of Marnie's mansion, and gazing into a window where Marnie is visible and having her hair stroked.
 * Emotionless Girl: At the start of the film, Anna tends to suppress her emotions, although by the end as a result of Character Development she has grown much more confident and shows emotions. "Yoriko:It's like she doesn't allow her emotions to show. She used to be more expressive, but these days her face is almost wooden, not happy, not sad, just there."


 * Establishing Character Moment: The first couple of scenes establish Anna's reclusive personality and low self esteem via an Opening Monologue, and how she refuses to show her painting to a nearby adult because she lacks confidence in her work. Similarly, Marnie is established as innocent and caring when she first meets Anna, and helps her dock her boat at the mansion.
 * Foreign Language Theme: Despite being a Japanese film produced by a Japanese studio for the Japanese set in Japan, the ending song, "Fine on the Outside", is in English. Thus, The Song Remains the Same in the English dub.
 * Fostering for Profit: Subverted.
 * Genki Girl: Downplayed with Sayaka, who is enthusiastic and energetic, but can remain composed in serious situations. She is passionate about uncovering the secret of Marnie, but can compose herself to help Anna. When she first meets Anna, she runs into her mansion, and yells "come on" believing that Anna has hints about who Marnie was.
 * Ghibli Hills: A very frequent occurrence in long and wide shots of the film, given who made it.
 * Girlish Pigtails: Sayaka's hairstyle.
 * Heroic Self-Deprecation: Anna does after losing control, calling Noboko a fat pig, and running away. "Anna: Like just what I am: ugly, stupid, moody, unpleasant. That's why I hate myself."


 * Intergenerational Friendship: The twelve year old Anna and the younger Sayaka forms one with Hisako, an adult woman. Anna promises to paint with her the next time they visit.
 * Mr. Exposition: Or Ms. Exposition, in this case, as Hisako explains Marnie's backstory.
 * Nice Girl: If a female character appears in the film, chances are, they fall into this trope one way or another.
 * Anna becomes a much kinder person through her interactions with Marnie.
 * Marnie to
 * Sayaka is helpful in helping Anna along her journey, and goes out with her older brother to recover a cold Anna who has collapsed in the rain.
 * Yoriko is a caring foster mother to Anna who is supportive.
 * No Antagonist: As this is an internal, character driven conflict.
 * No Social Skills: Anna before her character development is unable to hold a sustained conversation with anyone.
 * Opening Monologue: Anna does this at the start of the film, explaining how she is an outsider and cannot fit into the existing social circles.
 * Parental Abandonment: Happens with Anna, as her biological mother and father died in a car crash. She is instead raised by the caretaker Yoriko, and.
 * Pinky Swear: Anna and Sayaka makes a pinky promise that they will keep in touch, and that Anna will visit the next summer.
 * Plucky Girl: Marnie, who remains joyful and kind after, demonstrated via her interactions while.
 * The Promise: Anna and Marnie make one, that they will remain a secret. This is mirrored with the Pinky Swear between Anna and Sayaka.
 * The Quiet One: Toichi, the old fisherman who sporadically speaks, who often takes Anna back from the mansion.
 * Anna, at the start of the film.
 * Raised by Grandparents:
 * The Reveal: When Anna discovers
 * Sailor Fuku: In the beginning of the film, Anna leaves her school bag and sketchbook at school. The girls who return them wears these.
 * Scenery Porn: The film has many shots focused on green forests, the sky, or just a wide shot looking out into the distance. These shots often bring the already slow pacing to a standstill.
 * Secondary Character Title: Marnie appears in the title despite Anna being the protagonist.
 * Silence Is Golden: There are prolonged periods in the film where there are no dialogue or even music whatsoever, and the film shows you its lush world. In addition, the entire film can be described as quiet, with gentle music as well as soft and calming sound effects.
 * Slice of Life: Scenes in Oiwa family's house, showing actions such as eating, writing a letter, cooking, or gardening. In addition, many slice of life elements, such as a biker passing by, are visible in the backgrounds of some shots.
 * Spoiled Sweet: Both Marnie and Sayaka. Marnie, living in her parents' mansion, frequently attends glamorous parties hosted there, and gets plays with many toys. The mansion is now inherited by Sayaka's family, and Sayaka is also a sweet person, established via her interactions with Anna while trying to help her discover who Marnie really is.
 * Took a Level In Kindness: Anna becomes a much kinder person after going through Character Development, apologising for her past actions, saying that she's sorry for calling Noboko a fat pig.
 * Tragic Keepsake: Marnie's picture of her mansion becomes a keepsake for Anna, reminding her of
 * Walking Spoiler: Marnie.