The first time I watched Grave of the Fireflies, I ugly-cried through the entire second half of the film and then continued for another hour or so after it was over. I’m not exaggerating when I say this just might be the saddest movie ever made. It’s about an orphaned brother and sister, Seita and Setsuko, trying to survive in Kobe, Japan, during the last few months of World War II. After they lose their mother in the first few minutes, their lives just get bleaker and bleaker as they get more and more desperate for food, money, and medicine. François Truffaut famously said it’s impossible to make a true anti-war film, because any cinematic depiction of warfare will be inherently thrilling and therefore sensationalize acts of war, but I’d argue that Grave of the Fireflies is the exception to that rule. Most war movies capture warfare through the eyes of soldiers and focus on the action on the battlefield. But Grave of the Fireflies frames the Second World War from the perspective of innocent civilians — specifically two children — suffering through the consequences and collateral damage of routine bombings. It’s not about war; it’s about the ramifications of war.
Grave Of The Fireflies Is A Harrowing True Story Told With Hauntingly Beautiful Animation

The Longer You Spend With These Kids, The More You Love Them

Grave of the Fireflies is based on the unimaginably harrowing real-life experiences of Akiyuki Nosaka, who was left with debilitating survivor’s guilt after losing his sister to malnutrition. Writer-director Isao Takahata tells his story with the appropriate compassion. The longer you spend with these kids, the more you love them, and the more horrible things are happening to them. It’s an emotionally draining experience, but it’s important to endure that experience and understand some semblance of what Nosaka and millions of others like him have gone through when the horrors of war have come to their doorstep. True to Nosaka’s self-flagellating telling of his own story, Grave of the Fireflies focuses heavily on Seita’s guilt over his sister’s sickness. The film doesn’t blame the war for Setsuko wasting away; it blames Seita, because he blames himself for failing to protect her. And as someone who has a little sister, Seita’s guilt destroyed me.

As someone who has a little sister, this movie destroyed me.

Seita is old enough to be jaded and cynical and see the world for how cruel it really is, but Setsuko is just an innocent little kid. Seeing the horrors of warfare and inhumanity through her eyes makes it all the more sobering. She doesn’t fully understand what’s going on; she just wants to have fun and be a kid. But even something as simple as a trip to the beach to get away from it all is mired in the fog of war when she stumbles across a dead body. Everything she finds happiness in is tainted by tragedy.
Grave Of The Fireflies’ Titular Symbolism Encapsulates The Unspeakable Tragedy Of The Film

No Matter How Dark It Gets, There’s Always A Tiny Glimmer Of Hope

The title of the movie refers to one of its most touching scenes. One of the few things that gives Setsuko joy while they’re living in a bomb shelter and slowly starving is seeing the fireflies come out at night. But one morning, she finds that the fireflies have all been killed by the polluted air. She asks her brother, “Why do fireflies have to die so soon?” This poignant line encapsulates the entire film. It tries to make sense of senseless devastation as it reckons with sudden and untimely loss, clinging to every last scrap of hope in a hopeless world. No matter how dark and dreary Grave of the Fireflies gets, there’s always a tiny glimmer of hope amidst the misery and destruction (at least until the third act). The fireflies symbolize this glimmer of hope: a little flicker of light glowing through the overwhelming darkness.

Grave of the Fireflies is streaming on Netflix.

Grave of the Fireflies is both one of the greatest war films ever made and one of the greatest animated films ever made. The animation, bringing war-torn Japan to life, is as hauntingly beautiful as it is relentlessly bleak. It’s an unbearably heartbreaking wartime nightmare, but it’s also a movie that everyone needs to see. You’ll only ever want to watch it once, but you owe it to yourself to brave that first viewing and discover this masterpiece.

Grave of the Fireflies

10/10

Release Date

April 16, 1988

Runtime

89 Mins

Director

Isao Takahata

Writers

Akiyuki Nosaka, Isao Takahata

Pros & Cons

Grave of the Fireflies might be the saddest movie ever made; it knows exactly how to manipulate your emotions
Seeing the horrors of warfare through an innocent child’s eyes makes for one of the only true anti-war films
The brutal honesty of Akiyuki Nosaka’s semi-autobiographical story is brought to life with hauntingly beautiful animation