Grave of the Fireflies

A massive emotional punch to the gut, Grave of the Fireflies is one of the saddest films you will ever see.  Set during the final days of WWII in Japan, it tracks what are also the last days of Seita and his little sister Setsuka.  Their family home in the port city of Kobe is firebombed.  Their mother, already sick, is badly burnt and does not survive, leaving them to fend for themselves.  They try living with their aunt, but she is resentful of having to feed and look after them, so they end up living in some caves by the side of a lake.  Food becomes increasingly scarce and soon they are living on dried frogs that they catch in the lake.  Setsuka dies of hunger and her brother soon after.  It is one of the most successful “serious” animations.  The lack of realism in the drawing of the characters, done in classic Anime style, does not distract at all from the emotional impact of the film.  If anything it makes it easier to identify with their plight.  Not a fun movie to watch, although many of the scenes, even those of the bombings, are quite beautiful.   It belongs in any top ten list of anti-war movies.