children knocking on heavens door...

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2005)

This movie is about two orphaned siblings (an elder brother and toddler sister) trying to survive in the war torn Japan of the second world war. I think it would be a mistake to call this an anti-war film. Certainly it will pluck some chords in you as to the stupidity and cruelty of war. However, I think this is a film mostly about love, selfless devotion and atonement. The elderly brother who himself is basically also a child, takes the care of his sister into his own hands. He makes some poor decisions. These decisions are very natural given that he is just a naive child, and moreover the proud, somewhat spoiled child of a war officer. The story unfolds very realistically, you just know that everything will spiral down for the lonely children in an unforgiving world, but that the love between them will last.
This movie presents the film making art at its best. The story telling, excruciating attention to details, directing, all faultless. I like this film also for the acting, I think it would be impossible for a child do the acting for the Setsuko character (the toddler sister) in a non-anime movie as is done here. She is so natural and real, it is difficult not to be moved. The only flaw I can find with the movie is the musical score. Mostly it is OK, but it could have been better.
I am not very familiar with the Japanese culture, but I can say that the film includes some subtle but powerful criticism for the nationalistic fervor which led in that time to the ruin of Japan. You see officers rooting for the emperor in the ashes of a burnt down city full of burned corpses. You see half-starved children still chanting the songs about the proud steel warships of their empire. And you see the same proud children later but this time hurraying for the enemy planes because the bombs they pour are the only way they can feed themselves. Our world needs more films like this.
Finally, this is a very moving, deep movie which deserves and needs more than one viewing.