When Marnie Was There
A hauntingly beautiful animated drama where a lonely girl's summer unveils a spectral friendship, blurring the lines between memory, dream, and reality by a secluded marsh.
When Marnie Was There
When Marnie Was There

思い出のマーニー

"Promise we'll remain a secret, forever."

19 July 2014 Japan 103 min ⭐ 7.9 (1,885)
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Cast: Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura, Nanako Matsushima, Susumu Terajima, Toshie Negishi
Drama Animation Family Mystery
Identity and Self-Worth Loneliness and Friendship Memory and the Past Forgiveness and Healing
Box Office: $34,949,567

When Marnie Was There - Movie Quotes

Memorable Quotes

In this world, there's an invisible magic circle. There's an inside and an outside. Those people are inside. And I'm outside.

— Anna Sasaki

Context:

Anna thinks this to herself while observing her classmates at school. It's a moment of internal monologue that gives the audience a direct view into her painful isolation and self-perception.

Meaning:

This quote perfectly encapsulates Anna's profound sense of alienation and loneliness at the beginning of the film. It establishes her core psychological conflict: the belief that she is fundamentally different and excluded from the normal happiness and social connections that others enjoy.

I hate myself.

— Anna Sasaki

Context:

Anna says this early in the film, revealing the depth of her depression and unhappiness to the audience. It's a raw confession that sets the emotional stakes of the story.

Meaning:

A blunt and powerful expression of Anna's deep-seated self-loathing. This feeling is the root of her inability to accept love from her foster parents and connect with others. Her journey in the film is ultimately about overcoming this intense self-hatred.

I promise I'll never forget you, Marnie. Never!

— Anna Sasaki

Context:

Anna shouts this to a disappearing Marnie after their final, emotional encounter near the silo. She has just forgiven Marnie for leaving her, and this promise is her final, tearful farewell.

Meaning:

This is a declaration of love and forgiveness. It signifies the climax of Anna's emotional journey. By promising to remember Marnie, she is embracing her family history, accepting her past, and healing the wounds of abandonment. It is in this moment she solidifies their eternal bond and finds closure.

Please, forgive me!

— Marnie

Context:

This is said during Marnie's last appearance to Anna, after Anna has been rescued from the silo. It is the emotional peak of the film, where the past and present fully collide and find resolution.

Meaning:

Marnie's plea for forgiveness is multi-layered. On the surface, she is asking for forgiveness for leaving Anna in the silo. Symbolically, however, she is asking for forgiveness for the entire chain of events that led to Anna's feeling of abandonment: for her own death, for her daughter Emily's death, and for the generational trauma. It's a moment of catharsis for both characters.