From the very first sequence in the film until the last, we're shown how the great chasm of misunderstanding existing between children and adults is a universally identifiable allegory.
Our miniature hero runs unheard and unseen through the labyrinthine streets of an old nearby village trying to return his classmate's homework notepad, which he accidentally took himself. The problem is, without it, his friend can't complete his homework and thus risks being expelled from school.
In his quest to find his friend, he encounters several unconcerned adults and a general lack of understanding of the profundity of his mission. The list is a long and winding psychological path mirroring the maze-like passages of the ancient villages...
-His mom seems unable to hear or understand his explanation of the problem -The residents in the nearby village he seeks are oblivious to the seriousness of his mission and of little help - His grandfather is callously concerned with instilling discipline by giving absurd orders instead of offering assistance in his time of need -The iron-door salesman rudely rips a page from the all-important notepad and nearly takes off with it himself -The amiable old blacksmith, though well-meaning, fails to understand the urgency of the boy's mission and out of politeness is placated at the expense of finding the friend's house.
When our little hero runs up the zig-zag hill for a second time to try and find his classmate, we're left in awe at the great lengths to which he's willing to right a wrong, no matter how trivial it is to the ignorant adult world. His sense of responsibility toward his fellow classmate is a small epiphany in a strict moral world of big "truths".
As night falls on the neighboring village, our hero returns home having failed in his quest to deliver the notepad, but not in his obligation to his friend. As the wind blows hard outside his home, he makes a choice to stay up and do the homework again.
Our miniature hero runs unheard and unseen through the labyrinthine streets of an old nearby village trying to return his classmate's homework notepad, which he accidentally took himself. The problem is, without it, his friend can't complete his homework and thus risks being expelled from school.
In his quest to find his friend, he encounters several unconcerned adults and a general lack of understanding of the profundity of his mission. The list is a long and winding psychological path mirroring the maze-like passages of the ancient villages...
-His mom seems unable to hear or understand his explanation of the problem -The residents in the nearby village he seeks are oblivious to the seriousness of his mission and of little help - His grandfather is callously concerned with instilling discipline by giving absurd orders instead of offering assistance in his time of need -The iron-door salesman rudely rips a page from the all-important notepad and nearly takes off with it himself -The amiable old blacksmith, though well-meaning, fails to understand the urgency of the boy's mission and out of politeness is placated at the expense of finding the friend's house.
When our little hero runs up the zig-zag hill for a second time to try and find his classmate, we're left in awe at the great lengths to which he's willing to right a wrong, no matter how trivial it is to the ignorant adult world. His sense of responsibility toward his fellow classmate is a small epiphany in a strict moral world of big "truths".
As night falls on the neighboring village, our hero returns home having failed in his quest to deliver the notepad, but not in his obligation to his friend. As the wind blows hard outside his home, he makes a choice to stay up and do the homework again.