"Hard to recover from, impossible to forget"

Rating: 10/10 (25 September 2005)

This is one of those reviews where I will say at the outset that, if you haven't yet seen the film, you should go see it. As soon as (or even before, if you're the impatient type) you read this review, I urge you to run out and buy or rent it.
Because my words simply cannot convey what Isao Takahata's animated masterpiece Hotaru no haka conveys.
Known in the English-speaking world as Grave of the Fireflies or, in some countries, Tombstone for Fireflies, Hotaru no haka is the single most powerful anti-war film I have ever seen. As a work of art, it ranks among Picasso's Guernica and Elgar's cello concerto. It succeeds where many American filmslike Fahrenheit 9/11, Apocalypse Now, and even Schindler's Listsimply don't. Hotaru no haka is a grim depiction of innocence lost, not just of its two young protagonists, but of the entire Japanese nation.
The story centers around two children: Seita, who is about thirteen; and his younger sister Setsuko, who is four. Their mother dies of wounds when their town is attacked during the firebombing of Japan in World War II, and they go to live with an aunt. While kind at first, she grows to resent the two siblings she must now feed and shelterwhy can't Seita "work for the war effort," as his cousin and uncle are doing? Seita and Setsuko eventually set out on their own to live in an abandoned shelter. But food is hard to come by, and they gradually succumb to malnutrition.
Yes, they die. That is obvious from the film's exposition, which shows Seita sitting ragged and obviously malnourished in a train station, a mysterious tin on his person. A janitor throws the tin into the night, where fireflies encircle it and the spirit of Setsuko emerges. She joins her brother's ghost, they board a train to the next world, and the story is told in flashback. "September 21, 1945... that was the night I died" is the opening line.
The interesting thing about this film is that, although it is Japanese, it neither victimizes the Japanese nor demonizes the Americans. In fact, its deepest disdain is reserved perhaps for the Japanese people themselves, who turn a cold shoulder to the suffering of their children and fellow citizens. Takahata shows us that the true casualty of war is not life, but innocence.
The animation, while in the stylized animé tradition, is rooted in realism and rich detail; and, while it strikingly depicts the tragic demise of the characters, it also has many moments of beauty. There is much to be admired visually in this filmhardly surprising, since it comes from Japan's legendary Studio Ghibli, which has produced the most breathtaking traditional animation that I have ever had the privilege to see.
All these elementsstory, symbolism, animationcombine to make one big emotional punch in the gut that is hard to recover from and impossible to forget. It's an animated film, sure; but it is one of the most bitingly real films you'll ever see, and the simple fact that it is not live-action doesn't diminish its power. If you have a night to ruin, watch Hotaru no haka. It's a film that you don't want to see, but one that you will never regret having seen.
My inevitable "dub vs. sub" commentary: The DVD contains two versions of the film: one is a dubbed English version, and the other is the original Japanese with English subtitles. I urge you to do yourself a favor, and watch the Japanese version. I see no point in watching the dub, since you won't be showing Hotaru no haka to younger children anyways....right?