"Porco Rosso" might be Hayao Miyazaki's most surprising picture. A film about a Pig Pilot's misadventures ended up being a touching and human story about the trauma of war and how crucial love can be.

What stands out about Hayao Miyazaki's film is, although his films are about fantastical characters and bizarre situations, the humanity he brings to his films is astounding. Kiki's Delivery Service might be about a teenage witch at first until you realize it's truly about the social isolation of a girl who allows her personal judgment to restrain her ability to truly fly as a witch and as a person.

In "Porco Rosso", the goofy lead gives you the impression you're about to see a wacky adventure film and partly it is however as the story goes further and we begin to see who Porco truly is, the story takes a different turn and it becomes a moving tale about a man who was disappointed by life due to his war experiences, the scene of Porco seeing his dead comrades rising to the sky stays with you long after you've seen it.

Also, Hayao Miyazaki's passion for flying is fully displayed in Porco Rosso with impressive vistas through a dazzling blush of color as well as strong, fully realized female characters in Fio and Gina.

Porco Rosso is a film worth seeing. It's delightful and pleasant yet endearing and gloomy (in a good way) as well.

Submitted February 22, 2021 at 02:13AM by Pedro625 https://ift.tt/37AsjyG