Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Director: Isao Takahata
Stars: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi
Runtime: 89 minutes

Synopsis: A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.

Verdict: Spoilers ahead.

“Grave of the Fireflies” is the rare type of movie that encompasses a whole spectrum of emotions that will each hit you like a moving train. While it’s a mostly gloomy watch, it’s the few moments of wholesomeness and smile-inducing scenes that brand it as one of the most powerful films ever made as they truly emphasize what war looks like from the perspective of a child.

The movie opens with a bittersweet scene that displays our protagonist’s fate. Seita succumbs to his fatigue and is reunited with his sister, Setsuko, in what seems to be some sort of afterlife. This is when the film’s main musical theme plays for the first time, a composition that remains to this day a personal favorite of mine due to its effective use within the story.

The rest of the movie shows us how we got to this point. Set during the final days of the Second World War, it’s so much more than your typical anti-war film that depicts the inhumane and irrational side of human conflict. Yes, we do witness mass destruction and death, but the focus of the narrative is concentrated on the relationship between the two siblings. Left without parents, Seita takes it upon himself to care for his little sister. His mission is not only to assure her survival, but also to allow her to enjoy the innocence of her childhood, even if it costs him his teenage years. He’s well aware of the value of this purity and knows that once it expires, it’s gone forever.

This makes one scene in particular difficult to take in. While heading back to their temporary domicile, Seita catches Setsuko burying a bunch of dead fireflies. When he asks her about her doings, she reveals to him that she knew that their mother had passed away, a secret he kept to himself in an effort to preserve hope in her. A hope that had been symbolized by the light emitted by these insects throughout the movie until this point. He breaks down crying, accepting that he had failed his mission, and you can’t help but feel the agony that the character’s going through in that instant.

“Grave of the Fireflies” is a masterpiece on every possible level, but it’s the robust dynamic between the two siblings that make it one of Ghibli’s greatest entries. It’s far from being an easy watch, but I consider it an essential one nonetheless.  

FINAL GRADE: 9/10