Grave of the Fireflies

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Ghibli Reviews

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Okay, so I'm not entirely sure what the saddest movie I've ever seen in my life is... but this is definitely in the running. This is also the first review on the list that doesn't place Hayao Miyazaki in the writer's/director's chair. Therefore, we're getting ripped away from the charming fantasy and adventure that has taken place so far, and nose-diving into heavy drama from writer/director Isao Takahata.

The premise really couldn't be more simple. A young man named Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi/J. Robert Spencer/Adam Gibbs) finds himself desperately trying to take care of his little sister, Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi/Rhoda Chrosite/Emily Neves) at the end of World War II, after a firebombing has left them alone to fend for themselves.

The catch is, we know pretty much from the get-go what their fate is. Right from the opening scene, you know full well to grab that box of tissues 'cause this is gonna pull on your heartstrings something fierce.

This is kinda right up there with something like 'Schindler's List' in that its really well done, but it's hard to sit through, knowing certain truths about certain things. This is, so far, the Ghibli movie to be taken the most seriously. It's an illustration of what Japan had to endure, post-war, showing us the other side of the coin. Let's just stop and think for a second how many families and lives were torn apart during that war from every side. This movie does a wonderful job at showing us that devastation wasn't just ours, it was everywhere.

One may very well accuse this movie of pulling something like 'The Bucket List' does, in that it was made to throw something in your face that will make you tear up emotionally just because. But with this one, I kinda beg to differ. I think its a movie people should sit through and endure, even if only once. It displays an important message; a reminder of what nuclear war can accomplish - sheer and utter destruction.

I really had no idea what I was even getting into with this movie, but it wowed me in a big way. Again though, it's at the emotional level to where it's a difficult title to sit through. There were moments I was thinking to myself "Jesus Christ, movie!" because it got so damn heavy. It doesn't hold back on anything, and it's very much a strange title to follow up 'Totoro' with, as that one was so innocent and sweet.

I highly recommend checking this out, if only for a bit of untapped education on a major time in history. But to quote a friend who forewarned me before diving in, if you're gonna check it out, "I hope you're prepared for the emotional devastation you're about to endure". Fair warning.

4/5

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