What to Watch - Modest Heroes

by Chelsea House, GGR Chief Media Correspondent

Modest Heroes is a compilation of three different short films directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Mary and the Witch’s Flower), Akihiko Yamashita (A Sumo Wrestler’s Tail), and Yoshiyuki Momose (Ghiblies) former members of Studio Ghibli, from Studio Ponoc. It lasts about 53 minutes. I will break down each short and give you the best spoiler free description I can, because honestly, it’s best to watch when you don’t really know what will happen. 

Kanini & Kanino

This short is by far the most visually stimulating to watch. It holds all the quaint charm we’ve grown to love with Studio Ghibli films, or in this instance, former members of Studio Ghibli. It follows a brother and sister who are two very tiny aquatic humanoids as they go on a journey to find their lost father. The setting seems to be a stream, and so there are bugs, fish, and all other beautiful things to enhance your viewing experience. It is not offered in an English version, which if you don’t speak or read Japanese still works out because they really only say a few words and use a lot of hand gestures. So, it was pretty easy to follow what was going on. 

Life Ain’t Gonna Lose

Life Ain’t Gonna Lose follows a story about a young boy who suffers from a deadly egg allergy. If you are a parent, this one really tugs on the heart strings because I’m sure, for so many, it will hit so close to home. I also really appreciate that it does not just show the perspective of the child, but also the parent, so you get some scenes where a kid is just trying to be a kid, and a mother is just trying to do what’s best. It’s a story that needs to be told more often and more widely, and it’s a story that shows the real life look of someone who suffers from a deadly allergy. This short is the most intense to watch with children, just as a warning, but also brought up the most conversation with my family.

Invisible

Phew… Invisible… there is a lot to say about this one, but saying all of it would ruin my spoiler free review. So, all I’m going to say is - there’s a lot to say.   This short follows a man who believes he’s invisible and no one can see him. It is filled with allegory and is yet another story that needs to be told more. This short was harder to explain to kids, but as an adult, I really enjoyed peeling back the layers of Invisible and everything it expressed so well. 

Modest Heroes can most definitely be watched as a family, and I feel it should be! I watched with my four and eight year old and after each short, my husband and I would pause the tv and ask them what they thought made the characters a hero. Their answers were beautiful, the conversation was rich, and I think we all walked away getting to know each other a little better. I enjoy movies that really encourage you to think so much, and Studio Ponoc did a wonderful job of creating a small platform to be able to pick the brain. This movie gets large thumbs up from me! You can check it out on Netflix, currently.