Well done and very depressing

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2014)

I loved depressing movies when I was in college, but generally avoid them now; the heartbreak of a movie like La Strada just seems more than I can bear. I knew Grave of the Fireflies was pretty serious, but I did not realize how utterly grim it would be.
Still, I'm glad I saw it. It's a very well-made movie. It's also an example of an animated movie that makes a case for animation in drama. I often feel that if there is nothing in a film that can't easily be shown with live action then it's a waste to use animation, which loses the nuances of human acting. But this film allows for scenes you wouldn't get in a live action movie; the use of fireflies would never be as lyrical and striking in a live drama.
There are a few issues with the movie. One is those weird red, raggedy-anne circles on the little girl's cheeks, which I found endlessly distracting. More importantly, there are places where the boy's actions don't make sense. This is not to say that there weren't good reasons for what happened (the movie is based on an autobiographical book, so it may be true to life), just that the movie fails to make things clear.
It was a good movie, but it has not convinced me to watch more depressing films.