The film’s conclusion, in which Chihiro is granted her and her parents’ freedom, but only if she could solve a riddle for Yubaba, brings to mind Greek and Roman myths with similar riddles incorporating high stakes. Yubaba presents a group of pigs to Chihiro, and she’s forced to guess–or perhaps just know–which of them are her parents. She answers that none of them are, and she’s set free. All the other times I saw this film, I questioned how it was she was able to figure the riddle out. I somewhat accepted my own answers and excuses–that she simply knew her parents so well, or that she had grown so much that she could just tell–none of which were all that satisfying, but did the job for me.It wasn’t until I rewatched it, however, that I finally understood after all these years: even if Chihiro’s parents were among the pigs Yubaba had presented to her, she still would’ve been right. Because now that they are livestock, they are not her parents anymore. Just as Haku and Sen had forgotten their true names, they weren’t the river god or Chihiro anymore. Just as Lin and Kamaji and all the other spirits have given up their names, they may never be their true selves. Just as how the office worker drone you may be as an adult is not the same person as the wide-eyed child you grew up as. The person you were before is what defines your identity. And when that’s gone, whether it be through magic or loss of innocence or the pressures of adult society, you are no longer that person. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/3wcZXo1
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