Peculiar evening light

[vaneramos]

Another remarkable thing about My Neighbour Totoro is the peculiar quality of long-angled light, characteristic of a summer evening, that pervades the climax of the film when one of the girls gets lost. I've seen it in July and August in Southwestern Ontario. For some reason I believed it was unique to this part of the world, perhaps because evenings up North, at the cottage, though beautiful in a different way, never feel this sultry and honey-golden.

I've hardly ever travelled outside Ontariio in summer. When we arrived home from our trip to the East Coast last summer on such an evening, it felt like sweaty Ontario welcoming us home. I described it as "the long, soft arms of a familiar sun." It is a nostalgic light.

Obviously, it happens in Japan, too. I had never seen it portrayed effectively in film before. Miyazaki apparently likes it, too, and drew it out to dramatic effect.

I can give a concrete example from a set of photos I shot three summers ago at Poplar Bluff, the place where I grew up. Please forgive the awkward little thumbnails; I was new to photo blogging at that time. The first two shots here illustrate what I'm talking about. If you have seen Totoro, maybe you'll find a similarity.

July 30, 2003