For those of you who have not yet seen Kiki’s Delivery Service, this film is about Kiki, a young witch of thirteen who must venture out into the world as a witch in training for one year before returning home. This movie is about growing up.
The plot in one long run-on sentence:
Kiki leaves home and travels to a new town, after a few setbacks she finally finds a place to stay, she starts a delivery business, meets people along the way who become friends, she struggles with wanting to do teenage things like go to parties or buy pretty shoes, but must contend with the fact that she works and that her money must be used for essential needs, she goes through a low point of self-doubt and loses her ability to fly, she hangs out with a friend who gives her sage advice, sees another friend in trouble, gets back her ability to fly and saves the day.
Character Through Mise-en-scène
Now there is a scene that’s extraordinary to me, it is one hour and eleven minutes into the film and it occurs when Kiki has just made it back to her room from an arduous walk. She’s thirsty and tired. After drinking a glass of water she flops onto the bed. Now the part that I really want to share with you: the audience sees a dark room with no paintings or pictures on the wall, no rugs or cute comforters, the room is bare bones with only the essentials.
Compare this room to her bedroom at her parents home we see at the beginning of the film. Her bedroom there is vibrant and full of color and light. It has a bookshelf full of books and knick knacks everywhere. There are stuffed animals too, pictures on the wall and a rug on the floor, it really is a child’s room. And if you’re not paying attention to the backdrop you might miss it because the scene where she is in her childhood bedroom is focused on her packing to leave and saying goodbye to her parents.
Kiki’s two rooms show that growing up is sometimes lonesome, financially unstable, and tiring. That information was not said, it was shown. Sometimes great scenes that tell great stories don’t have to be full of dialogue, sometimes it’s just seeing the contrast of where a character is later in the film, compared to where a character started in the film.
Mikell#7186 likes to write, read, and watch stuff on TV.