Warm, beautiful, and undeniably tragic...

Rating: Null/10 (26 July 2011)

You know that a movie is going to be a downer when the main character dies in the opening scene...Two Japanese children, Seita and his sister Setsuko, are left orphans when their mother is killed in the firebombing of Kobe. Their father earlier sails off to sea aboard a warship and is presumably killed in action (although that is never confirmed). The two children are eventually left upon their own when food shortages force their own aunt to abandon them. The children at first find their newfound freedom exhilarating, but the carefree adventure turns increasingly scary as food ultimately runs out and the food-strapped locals have none to offer. Eventually, little Setsuko dies of malnutrition and her own brother has to cremate her remains. I challenge any viewer to not shed a tear when Seita carries out that duty with a somewhat dazed stoicism...
Unlike Reiji Matsumoto's rather offensive film, The Cockpit, this film does not depict the war in a romanticized manner. The war itself is distant, and even the B-29s dropping firebombs upon Kobe are depicted with an almost graceful beauty. I was also surprised that the film was not anti-American in the slightest. The only scene which might imply otherwise is when an American plane strafes a line of refugees (apparently out of mistaken identity). The film also avoids either depicting or mentioning the atomic bombings, either out of cultural sensitivity or simply to avoid weakening the story's focus.
All in all, I strongly recommend Grave of the Fireflies, with it's message of hope and beauty even in the face of great sadness.