Only Yesterday

This animated 1991 feature film from Studio Ghibli and director Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya) received its belated U.S. premiere in 2016. Adapted from the manga by Hotaru Okamoto, Only Yesterday tells an introspective story about a 27-year-old woman who escapes her office job by spending the summer picking safflowers on a farm in the country, where she befriends a fellow fieldworker. The textures and sights send her mind rolling back to the fifth grade when, as the youngest of three daughters, she recalls growing up with two older sisters. The film is set in the early ‘80s, with flashbacks reaching back to the 1960s, yet it is both remarkably contemporary and beautifully timeless—forget the Beatles references and the absence of cell phones and this could be, as the title suggests, only yesterday. Exploring the experiences of the grown woman and the memories of her younger self, the images here carry a tone of serenity even during moments of anxiety and despair. An unconventional anime entry, Only Yesterday is a subtle, nuanced, complex drama that only appears to be simple thanks to the mastery of Takahata's storytelling. It's a gift to finally have this film available to American audiences. Presented in separate dual-language DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo editions, rated PG, extras includes behind-the-scenes featurettes and an interview with the English dub team (the Blu-ray/DVD Combo release also includes feature-length animated storyboards). Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)