a gem

Rating: Null/10 (9 October 2003)

casualties of war. apocalypse now. platoon. born on the fourth of july. these, among other countless films, pale in comparison to the breadth and emotional power of the grave of the fireflies. and what's even amazing is that it's in animation. i have never seen a film whose camera chooses to show the atrocities of war and the children that are affected by them. what's unique about the film is in its painstaking efforts in letting us see the details of childhood and innocence lost, the quiet moments between siblings, the horrible effects of war. nothing is wasted in this film. a shot of an abandoned pail of water near a well evokes a deep symbolic meaning. we were fortunate enough to have seen this movie during a film festival held in our university. everyone came out in tears. this is not to say that the movie is wretchedly sad, as it also evokes a firmer resolve that something like this should not be permitted to happen. GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is the best war (or anti-war, whatever that means) movie ever made. and i'm glad mr. ebert included this gem in his golden movies.