Beautiful haunting film

Rating: 9/10 (17 April 2006)

I checked out this movie because I was looking for a film similar to Miyazaki's animated films. I was warned by my sister that this was a very very sad film but I decided to watch anyway.
The first time I watched it I was completely haunted by the what if's that ran through my mind as other possibilities for a possible happy ending.
Also the little girl Setsuko is so much like my own daughter and the fact that the older brother takes care of her...I found the story disconcerting because I have an older son and a little girl. I kept putting my children's faces over these animated characters faces.
There is such a reality and innocence in the animated film that is sometimes overlooked but in this film it shines through. There are little things like the girl swinging her legs as she sits down on a train bench and crying as her brother pokes her (probably because her aunt just told her that her mother died) just shows some sweet drama of life that can be beautiful and you want to hold onto it. You want to keep these characters in your heart and not let go or at least I did.
That said it was so sad that I determined not to watch it again, for the pain that I felt for these characters was real. I knew from my readings that lack of food was a major problem in Japan after WW II. I knew that things like this could have happened. Problem was I couldn't get the movie out of my mind so I decided to look more into it and study the movie and anything that was said about it. When I found out it was based loosely on a true story I decided to watch it again with my children. I felt like my children needed to know that there is suffering in the world. They were not affected as much as I was the first time.
I understood it so much more the second time I watched it. The beginning made so much more sense to me the second time that I enjoyed it more.
This is a beautiful movie and story. I recommend watching it and talking about it with your loved ones but at of course your own discretion.