When Marnie Was There

When Marnie Was There (2014) — watch online one of Studio Ghibli's quietest and most personal films on iFILM. Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, it was the legendary studio's final theatrical release before its temporary hiatus.

Anna is twelve, perpetually on the outside, and convinced she is a burden to everyone around her. A doctor's advice sends her to a small coastal town on Hokkaido, where she stumbles upon an old mansion standing half-submerged at the edge of the marshes. There she meets Marnie — a girl in a white dress who appears only after dark. Whether Marnie is real, imagined, or something else entirely is the heart of the story. The two girls make each other a promise: this stays a secret forever.

Based on Joan G. Robinson's 1967 British novel, the film sidesteps the usual action of its genre for something slower and more precise — a study of childhood isolation, self-worth, and the invisible threads connecting generations. Stream When Marnie Was There (2014) online on iFILM.