Post #7 Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa of The Valley of the Wind was made in 1984. Given the current crisis and the world pandemic, it may be even more relevant today than it was then. Princess Nausicaa lives in the Valley of the Wind, an oasis surrounded by a sea of toxic jungles and acidic lakes. The valley is protected by offshore winds from the ocean which blow the toxic spores from the jungle away from the valley. The valley is a pastoral paradise of lush, pure, forests, and thriving farmland. The story takes place 1000 years after the destruction of the world due to the avarice and conflicts of the world’s industrial nations. Throughout the film, Miyozaki portrays the ecocriticism aspects as he challenges the viewers to think about the impacts of greed. One of the central themes we can see in the movie is the perpetual struggle between human development and ecological conservation. Miyozaki illustrates and criticizes the past, where people believed in the power of nature. One of the challenging aspects that the filmmaker communicates is whether our current quest to dominate every aspect of the planet can lead to human extinction. While the movie is created as a fantasy, it depicts the realities in our contemporary world .

The story centers on the relationship between humans and the environment. The main issues posited in the film require us to be philosophical in the way we deal with issues related to sustainability and environmental conservation. Notably, the representation of nature and human requires humans to strike a balance between protection and consumption of commodities. While the human is trying their best to control the environment, it is apparent that we cannot tame it. Also, as the film represents us, our bodies cannot thrive without our dependence on nature because we get our food, oxygen, and shelter from the environment.

Through ecocritical aspects of the film, we are challenged to protect the natural environment for posterity. It is also essential to note that the representation of the environment in the movie is very complex, and the settings depict the complicated and ever-changing nature of the film. Notably, the film advocates merging philosophical and ecological aspects of life with culture. Through such incentives, people will be able to realize nature’s benefits and live in harmony (Boonpromkul). The relevancy of the film is mindboggling, Nausicaa shows us that we must listen and connect with the environment in order to gain a better understanding of what is at stake and how fragile the planet is. I hope that we all can find a common ground of preserving our plant and resources as a starting point in moving forward.