Takahata's Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (4 September 2008)

Most of the famous war films ever made, like "Saving Private Ryan" and "Cross of Iron", usually try to show the film and the war from the point of view of soldiers, those who fought in there. It is rare to see a film from the point of view of the innocent victims of the war. Probably the most famous film of victims is Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List". Even rarer is an animated film of victims of war. Animations in western countries are usually labeled as children's stuff, so it is no wonder Disney has refused to distribute this film, one of the Studio Ghibli's greatest works.
"September 21, 1945 that was the night I died"
With those words starts director Isao Takahata's most famous film, "Grave of the Fireflies" (Hotaru no haka, 1988). Unlike his long time friend and colleague Hayao Miyazaki, Takahata prefers to leave fantasy elements in his films to minimum. This is the way how Takahata amazes viewers. If Miyazaki's fantastic visions make our jaws drop to floor with amazement, Takahata's close to reality stories touch us deeply by hitting our emotions. And "Grave of the Fireflies" certainly does that masterly, being the only film that has ever managed to move me to the point of tears (and I am *not* a teary guy).
The film, based on a novel by Akiyuki Nosaka, tells the story of a young boy named Seita, who with his little sister Setsuko, lives in the 1940's Japan, during the World War II. After loosing their mother during a bombing, Seita does everything in his power to create an illusion for Setsuko that things are fine and there is nothing to worry about. The film has been often blamed of being too depressing and having a sad end, but I think it's the opposite. Of course this certainly is not the kind of film to make you smile, but it is already revealed in the beginning that both brother and sister will die. So when we reach the end of the movie, with an image of them as spirits, sitting on a bench looking happy and healthy, with a modern day city around them, this is actually a happy ending after all the suffering they went through.
It's very hard to say exactly why this film should deserve full stars from me. It just does. It's full of little beautiful scenes that instantly have an effect on you, accompanied by Michio Mamiya's peaceful music. Maybe the fact that it can make me wonder why it is so good is the proof enough to make it a masterpiece. And that is what "Grave of the Fireflies" is; a masterpiece. One of the most amazing films from Studio Ghibli and Isao Takahata's most famous film. And definitely the ultimate proof that animations can be used for other than children's stories.