Grave of the Fireflies, 1988

Rating: 9/10 (28 August 2010)

Sad, deeply emotional and depressing is what best describes this beautifully crafted movie. The honesty in this film is deeply emotional and the director's use of scenes are excellent.
Trust me, it is heart wrenching to start of with a simple statement 'On September.... I died.' Right from the start we know that the children Seita and Setsuko will die. The director plays a cruel trick on the audience, though we may see the characters living, having fun, with every second, every minute the audience knows the end is drawing.
I love the use of colour in this film. A dull red is used to portray the dead. Red and black... of course the fireflies are white - purity, calm... peace. It saddens me that some reviewers or comment-writers make such threads as 'Oops, shouldn't have bombed Pearl Harbour.' The main point of this film is not to blame, in all of the film it does not accuse any nation, it is simply to tell the story of the people who have become caught up in the war.
Though some people may argue that Seita was lazy and didn't get a job, think about this. Everyone is short on food - the farmers already have workers and even then need every plant to harvest their food, jobs have been taken by older men and Seita has just seen his diseased Mum. He is also caring for his sister, Setsuko, and feels that he needs to protect her as well. Imagine how depressing it would be, bombs raining down, food low and being hungry.
The film is formed in a series of flashbacks, that together form a deeply depressing picture.
The film paints a depressing yet emotional view on the innocent people caught in the cross-fire of battling countries. It certainly deserves a strong 9.
****1/2 out of *****