After a seven-year production, Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, "The Boy and the Heron," marks his first release in a decade, captivating audiences not only in Japan but also many other countries around the world.

In this film, Mahito, a grieving 12-year-old whose mother is deceased and whose stepmother mysteriously disappears, discovers a talking heron in an ancient tower. After the heron reveals to him that Mahito's mother is in a parallel world accessible through a hidden portal, Mahito embarks on a perilous journey into this world, determined to rescue his stepmother Natsuko and to meet his deceased birth mother. In the parallel world, Mahito successfully finds his mother, but in this world, she is a young girl named Himi —together, they search for Natsuko and learn about the secrets of the parallel world. While Mahito and Natsuko are eventually thrown back into the real world, Himi parts ways, as she returns to her world where she will grow up to later give birth to Mahito. 

Unlike Miyazaki's other films, this film is marked with recurring moments of ambiguity: many scenes lack contextual information, characters often harbor unspoken feelings, and many characters demonstrate seemingly inconsistent personalities. Yet these ambiguities are features, rather than flaws, that make this film uniquely interactive and thought-provoking. Instead of crafting a narrative with easily digestible themes and universal appeal, Miyazaki leaves interpretation up to the viewers, inviting them to engage in self-reflection to elucidate the ambiguities of the film.

For example, while viewers can intuitively infer Mahito’s personal growth throughout his journey, his inner voice is rarely expressed directly in words. Similarly, the reason for the heron’s inconsistent attitude toward Mahito—initially terrifying and menacing but later showing vulnerability, and at times appearing egotistical but ultimately attempting to save Mahito—also remains mysterious. These implicit yet intentional inconsistencies leave audiences to imbue their own meaning to these characters’ decisions, allowing viewers to interpret them  through the lens of their personal experiences and perspectives.

The film's ambiguity, therefore, lies in its refusal to offer definitive answers or explanations. The nature of the other world, the true state of Mahito's mother, and even the reality of Mahito's experience remain open to interpretation. The parts that the movie does not explicitly spell out answers for audiences linger, encouraging viewers to walk away from the movie still contemplating what to make of it. Eventually, however, viewers come to understand it in their own ways, shaped by their own lives. While the movie may not be a “fun,” easy story to follow, the ambiguity invites viewers to engage actively with the story, drawing their own conclusions and finding personal meaning within its open-ended narrative. Overall, it forces audiences to think about their own lives as projected onto Mahito’s—hence the original Japanese title of the film, “How do you live.”