Friday night, I joined the Rose Scholars to watch “Spirited Away.” I hadn’t really been exposed to this genre of film before, and the subtitles took a little while to get used to, but once I was accustomed to it I was able to get really absorbed into the story.

The way the plot and the visuals were constructed almost seemed like a dream to me. There were so many things that didn’t make sense at first (later explained) in this mysterious shadow world that served as a sort of resort for spirits. Some of the things that occurred were borderline traumatic for the young ten year old protagonist, Chihiro, who, throughout many attempts, found it difficult to leave.

By nearly forgetting her name, and, as a result, her identity, the filmmaker represents how even though we change and evolve in our experiences as we grow, we cannot forget who we are or where we come from, because that is an integral part of our identity.

This spirit movie was perfect for Halloween season, and I found it really interesting.