profoundly penetrating/moving film

Rating: 10/10 (21 September 2004)

Few movies can touch one's being to the core. Its impact was totally unexpected as I watched the film only because it happened to be the other feature in the 2 film-in-1 DVD I purchased. I had absolutely no idea what the film was all about. Now I can't get those profoundly moving scenes, Setsuko's face and voice off my mind. Though the film depleted my energy/vigor at the end, it was a welcomed feeling as it leaves one in touch with one's "forgotten" sense of humanity. Or the film heightens it, if it's not forgotten. I was utterly silent, deeply sad, "devastated" and brokenhearted when the final credits rolled. I felt both the actual and potential ugliness and beauty of being human all at once. Many films have been existentially moving, but few are as simple, direct though subtle, and as matter-of-factly as "Grave of the Fireflies". It's an unforgettable and emotionally "haunting" film; beautiful and painful at the same time.