Yesterday I’ve seen “The Boy and the Heron”, or with its original japanese title “How Do You Live?” (君たちはどう生きるか). A grandious movie full of symbols, with much room for interpretation.

Many movies do have subliminal messages, a bigger theme, or maybe an emotional topic which is being explored. The main topic here is the death of the boys mother, alongside the possible death of his foster-mom, on the land of his dead grandfather. A regular movie might have this topic play out in drama with his new family, showing him in different life situations and challenges, but not this movie.

Everything that happens in this movie happens in symbols, within a rapidly changing fantasy world. The movie is so unique in this way, that if you don’t get the symbols, the movie will go completely over your head, to the point of being unentertaining. This is because the scenes change rapidly and are connected by a chunk of meaning, and maybe a thread of story. The movie gives clear hints and common themes, but without explanation. It doesn’t really have a surface-level story which can be enjoyed without understanding the deeper meaning, which many other movies have.

A friend at the theater mentioned it, and it is true, the movie does really send you on a trip. You start connecting the dots, constructing a theory, while the movie goes on developing rapidly. You get to test your theory, going deeper and deeper into your own projection of the movie, while you’re asking yourself if you are even still watching the movie, or only your own nonsense interpretation. A direct consequence of the movie relying so heavily on symbols and interpretation.

For me, the main theme of the movie was death, the meditation and contemplation on this topic of a little boy having lost his mother, and the following realisation. Using this basis, I can explain not all, but many key scenes of the movie, which I believe without it, dont make much sense at all. In the following I will offer explanations for key scenes in the movie, explaining them from this perspective.

The Heron in the Lake

the boy arrives at his new house, in a very sleepy countryside. The furniture is simple, so is the food, and the people that live there. But then this magic moment happens. A moment of silence. A great theatrical moment in the movie. The boy looks at the lake, directly into the face of a majestic heron. First he builds a bow and interacts with the house-folk to try and kill it, which prooves futile. After looking closely, the heron reveals a deeper form to him. Within the heron lives a small man, which can guide him through the fantasy land.

Explanation: The heron in the middle of the lake for me symbolises timelyness and salvation. It stands for calm, peace, but also grace. The boy is not only at a lake somewhere in the middle of nowhere. The gracious heron is there, waiting for him, for exactly him, wanting to take him on a journey. It is not hard to imagine the boy moving into the house, finding the heron, first trying to kill it, but then resorting to sitting peacefully and quietly at the lake, thinking of his dead mother. Sitting at the lake, watching the birds, he would drift into other worlds within his meditation. Here his parents and aunties cannot find him once he is on the other side. He is gone.

The golden Gate at the Grave

Near the beginning of the movie the boy faces a golden gate. Behind it lies a big stone grave. As he nears the gate, birds come and push him through violently. After that he is saved by a kind of sailor, with a scar identical to the one he has. Together they catch a fish, cut it together and divide it amonth the people.

Explanation: It is the boys first conscious encounter with the topic of death. The golden gate had sealed this topic away for him, not in bad faith, but in his best interest. While it is massive, it is not really hard to get through. Having a first look at death, suddenly the birds get out of control. He has to be rescued by a sailor wearing the same scar (an older version of himself). This is a symbol for time passing by, and for maturity. An older version of him can understand death better, and can put it into proper perspective.

To me, this scene symbolizes the boy contemplating death, slowly approaching it a tiny bit. Having done this small feat, he is left with the spoils. An insight, a new learning on the topic of death. This for me is symbolized by the fish that is caught directly after. Exploring a new topic, he is left with the reward, and a big one indeed. But then comes the next part, the cutting of the fish. It is not enough just to have the insight, it is also the art of disecting it, cutting it up properly and putting it into perspective. This for me shows the integration of an insight during meditation or contemplation into daily life. The younger boy cannot really do it, but his older self shows him how.

The various Birds

During his journey the boy keeps running into birds. Not everybody is a bird in the fantasy land, but there are plenty of birds there. The birds often slowly creep up on him, they seem friendly, but then they multiply rapidly and become a huge problem. At the same time the birds never truly threaten his life. While in the worst moments he is surrounded by birds and they make a lot of noise, they never truly leave him with lasting injuries. The only injury he carries is the scar he caused to himself.

Explanation: The birds symbolize the boys own thoughts in meditation. As the boy explores more and more of the world, the birds come into play. A new area is discovered, but then birds come, and they try to stop him. It is the deepening of the meditation practice on the inner journey. A new sense of peace comes, but then a set-back. Thoughts arise. At first they are friendly, but then they spiral out of control. The meditation falls into pieces, but still, something new was discovered which can be remembered.

In one of the final scenes the boy has doubts about taking his grandfathers building blocks, but it is the king bird who slashes them through, destroying this world. In the scene with the golden gate, it is the boy who is curious, who is approaching it, but it’s the birds who push him through. A big theme in the movie, that the boy is the world / the movie. The world is playing him.

The Fire-Girl

Often in the movie, especially when the birds come too close, the boy is saved by a friendly girl. She accompanies him and stands by his side, while she can wield fire. The fire burns sometimes also the good stuff, but it is very good at making the birds go away.

Explanation: This is another classical meditation metaphor. The birds come, or thoughts arise, but the girl can burn them away. A burning flame of focus can save him from many situations which seem troublesome. Another indicator here is that he only meets her a bit later in life, after he meets his older self. Similarly, she cannot always help him, and sometimes her flame is small, indicating that his focus is not the same in all situations. Focus can help him stay in the fantasy land, when throughts arise.

The Aunties and the Wooden Figures

In the beginning of the movie it is quite clear that the aunties always have an eye on him. They are old, kind people, they have a certain sweetness about them, but they also dont want him to explore. The aunties help him in the house and live with him, but they are also old and have clear limitations. They also keep him in check. When he ventures too far out, they come after him with brooms. Only one aunty follows him into the fantasy world, but within it she transforms into a wooden figurine, just like her sisters.

Explanation: This for me is a symbol for tradition, conventional logic and accepted norms within society. They carry you through the day, they are often sweet and supporting, but they also keep you within limits. They cannot really help him on his adventure with death. They can be a totem to him, they can be a bit of a support, but to deal with his mothers death, the boy has to travel alone, and learn by himself. Anyway, in meditation or on the inner journey, convential logic is not of much use.

Returning back to time

There is a point near the end of the movie where the boy is still in the highest, lightest chambers. There it is announced that they will have to return back into time.

Explanation: A typical meditation metahor, as within meditation, you can lose your feeling for time and the space around you. Some meditators dont know for how long they have been sitting. At the same time, when exitig meditation is important to do so slowly, as to not spook yourself. This is why the warning makes sense: Watch out guys, we are going back into time.

This is one of those pieces in the movie that perfectly fits into the meditation and contemplation metaphor. I would be curious to know if there is any other explanation for this more or less random mentioning of time.

Rounding up

All in all, it was a fun movie to watch, and a unique movie of its own kind. As the boy went on a trip into his fantasy world, the viewer is taken onto a trip of meaning, the symbols and their interpretation within the movie. Only few movies require this level of engagement and interpretation, while being still an absolute fantasy.

Having been sent on this trip myself, its of course unclear if my interpretation of the movie is what the writer had intended. Nevertheless, my experience in the movie was great, and it is enjoyable to think about these things.

Besides the scenes I described here, the movie is packed full of further small metaphors. It seems everything in the movie has a meaning. Sometimes these come in such a rapid sequence, that I felt it was too fast, it was too much development going on, while the core topic was supposed to be contemplation, which takes its time.

I feel that just as the boy, the writer went on a great adventure with this movie, releasing a film that is so much open to interpretation. A truly daring masterpiece.