Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, 1984

For the next few weeks I’ll be watching all the Hayao Miyazaki films. Some again, some for the first time.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, 1984 — [subtitled]

This film is fantastic. A deeply complex, imaginative tale of nature, war, compassion, and the struggle of a brilliant heroine destined to save humanity from itself.

There is a scene where a fox-squirrel, called Teto, bites Nausicaä’s finger and she patiently lets her finger be bit until Teto’s frenzy fades and it proceeds to licks her wound. She comments, “It wasn’t angry, it was terrified.” Here begins our understanding of her beautiful empathy for all creatures, her understanding and challenging all the common conceptions. I cannot help but think, in our current climate, Nausicaä could teach us all a thing or two.