Wish Marnie Wasn’t There

Originally written Feb 3rd, 2021

I watched a ton of movies and tv series while I was sick with covid so I want to complain about When Marnie was There.

First, I want to say that as a person with GAD I do have sympathy for others who have it or something similar but once it becomes far too much I begin to lose my patience. Especially for fictional characters. If people are being kind to you or reaching out and you respond with hostility then ? It’s not like anyone is being disingenuous or mocking Anna in the film when they were nice to her. I feel like fictional depictions of this kind of personality trait or condition can be exaggerated for the conflict it creates. Like at this point with Anna the anxiety is becoming paranoia. 

There was that scene during the tanabata festival where that one rich woman’s daughter was trying to befriend Anna and said something about her blue eyes and Anna flipped out on her. This really set me off because it felt so unnecessary for Anna to be fatphobic and call her a pig. There are tons of other insults she could have used. It was such a small and quick thing but it’s the main reason why I could not get behind this film. I refused to let it move me emotionally and then I became more and more irritated by Anna’s behavior.

Anna feeling othered for being a fourth white was silly. Ghibli should have left the movie the same as the book and made everyone white because this plot point was so insensitive to anyone who isn’t white and even to biracial people who are Black/brown and white but not white passing. Anna being so upset about having blue eyes gave the message that it was so very hard for her to be partially white. This was a glaring example of how some Black and brown people put whiteness on a pedestal or deem white people as needing to be coddled and defended in any type of way. That focus on Anna’s blue eyes may have been because of the relation between her and Marnie, but juxtaposed to Anna ditching every full Japanese person around her trying to befriend her for a blonde haired blue eyed white girl says something about the director/creators even if it was unintentional. 

I don’t even mind the foster plot point because I can understand a 12 year old being hurt and confused to find out their parents/guardians get paid to take care of them. It would be the parents/guardians fault for not explaining that to the child openly. It’s a little complicated in this film because the way Anna’s foster mother dotes on and frets over her is portrayed in a genuine fashion, but Anna reacts to it as though it’s a charade and the discovery of the payments cements that idea in her mind. 

In the end, I did like the whimsy of Anna reconnecting with her grandmother spiritually and meeting Marnie’s friend and finally making her own. I appreciated that she apologized to the girl she was rude to as well. It would have been a better animated adaptation if they stuck closer to the book and didn’t include that weird mixed race element.