Grave of the Fireflies

GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is very sad. Note that I say that the movie is sad, not depressing. A great film critic told me that great films aren't depressing. Only terrible movies are. He is right. Great films can make you cry, but why should that make them depressing? That means the movie hits you on an emotional level, which is what the greatest movies do. I'm convinced now that the best animators in the world aren't from Disney. They're from Japan, like Hayao Miyazaki (the greatest living animator in the world) and Isao Takahata, a colleague of Miyazaki's who made this one. This film is so emotionally powerful that it actually succeeded in fulfilling another requirement I have about great movies. It makes me forget I'm watching the movie and make me feel as if I actually am INSIDE the film, experiencing what the characters are feeling. The movie is happening to me. If that last line sounds like a cliche to you, okay. So what? Great movies do that to you, and GRAVE OF THE FIRELFIES did it to me.The story is simple. Two Japanese siblings, a 14 year old boy and a 4 year old girl lose their parents in WWII, and it isn't long before they are completely on their own. They end up relying only on themselves to stay alive. The film was adapted from a highly acclaimed book in Japan, which I've been told is based on the real WWII experiences of its author.Like the greatest animated films I've seen this one is filled with images of complete originality and power. The only one I will mention in this review is a shot of a bunch of fireflies surrounding the children. It's a scene of indescribable beauty. But what happens after that turns it into a scene of unbelievable sadness. By the end of the film tears were in my eyes, something I usually don't do while watching a movie.If a film tells me it's based on a true story, that doesn't always get my attention. Isao Takahata wisely does not let audiences know this at any point in the movie, but what really made this film hit me emotionally is that it happens to two innocent Japanese children. They're the victims of our American military forces. And let us remember that we just bombed the country of Iraq. What if there are right now two Iraqi children, brother and sister, who are victims of the bombings we have done? What if they too have to fend for themselves just to stay alive? Perhaps with this highly likely scenario playing out for real, this film is perfect viewing for 2003, fifteen years after its original releaseGRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES ties with SPIRITED AWAY and PRINCESS MONONOKE as the greatest animated film ever made. I would like to explain this in my review but to do so would use up my word limit. They are also films on my list of the greatest films I've ever seen.note: I plan to write an essay explaining my three film tie.

For those who insist that cartoons of all forms, and particularly anime, are for children, I present you with Grave of the Fireflies. This amazingly well-done anime has some of the most touching, most depressing scenes I've ever seen on a screen, regardless of format.This film is set in Japan near the end of World War 2. Seita and Setsuko live in Kobe with their mother, whom they adore. When the air raid sirens sound, Seita and Setsuko run ahead to the bomb shelter, leaving their mother (who has a heart condition and cannot run) to follow. Seita is obviously not happy with this situation, but the early teen youth cannot carry both his toddler sister and his mother, so he agrees, sure his mother will join them at the shelter.From here begins the long, sad tale of the losses that Seita and Setsuko suffer through together. This is very much the story of a young man forced into the role of provider, protector, and nurturer years ahead of time, and of his little sister who adores him. Seita struggles to provide for himself and for Setsuko, and refuses to surrender himself to despair, regardless of the obstacles he is presented.I feel that this movie is all the more heart-wrenching for the way that the hurt and the pain and the fear are interspersed with the moments of joy and lightheartedness. For much of the movie, it is almost possible to believe that Seita and Setsuko will come out of this together. Of course, since the movie opens with Seita dying, alone, you know that your hope is misplaced, but you want them to survive. The love they share, and the joy they take from one another make you root for them.The characters in Grave of the Fireflies are remarkably well acted. Seita, standing strong, doing whatever is necessary to take care of his little sister. Setsuko is the perfect toddler. Happy one moment, crying the next, unsure of why anything is happening, but sure that Seita can fix everything. The childrens' aunt, a cold, sarcastic, bitter woman, taking every opportunity to ensure the children, especially Seita, is aware of how much they impose upon her and her patriotic family.In addition to the quality of the story and the caliber of the actors, the beauty of the artwork is just incredible. The facial expressions, the landscapes, the atmosphere. It's all wonderful, drawing you into the story. I found myself checking to see if the prone form of Setsuko was breathing as she lie ill, then realizing that wait, this is animation.This provocative, compelling tragedy is based upon a true story. The original author, Nosaka Akiyuki, wrote a novel based upon his real-life experiences at the end of the war in Japan. This story was then turned into a manga (Japanese comic book), and the story became very popular and well-known.Trivia buffs might be interested in knowing exactly how this movie made it to the screen. A director by the name of Hayao Miyazaki was working on a project named "My Neighbor Totoro" but the production company was worried that nobody would be interested in the tale of two little kids and a monster living in rural Japan. Therefore, they decided to make a movie they felt would draw viewers based upon the familiarity of the tale and for the educational value of the story, and make it a double-feature with "My Neighbor Totoro", billing and packaging the two movies together. Those who are familiar with both movies find the concept of packaging or viewing the cheery, light-hearted romp that is Totoro with such somber, depressing fare as "Grave of the Fireflies" mind-boggling, but the tactic seemed to work, though Totoro has become far more popular and well-known of the two movies.I cannot recommend this movie enough. It is a poignant story of the love shared by a pair of siblings in the worst possible conditions. And you'll never look at fruit drops the same way again.

One of Studio Ghibli's best and most tragic films--a devastating look at a young boy and his toddler sister trying to survive the attacks on Japan in WWII. This is one of the few animations that makes me cry every time I see it, so if you're not into heavier subject matter or feeling emotions, watch this one sparingly. But you need to watch it. It's so good.