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Movie Review #21 - Grave of the Fireflies
I was just blown away by this movie - it is a bitter and deep tragedy but stated so a matter-of-factly (yes, that probably isn't really a word) that it never becomes maudlin or manipulative. It is just "This is what happened and this is what they did to survive this".
First look at watch - NEVER - besides which, I had *something in my eye* for quite a bit of the movie!
Set in WWII Japan in the final days of the war, this tells the story of Seita and his sister Setsuko, trying to surive after their mother is killed in an air raid. It shows their struggle to keep an ordinary lifestyle and then living with their Aunt and finally their descent into desperation as they have to survive on their own and without money, whilst surviving air raids and other hazards. What steers this away from other movies of its sort is that it doesn't go well, largely as a result of Seita's inability to take care of his sister, resulting her death from malnutrition and his own death a little later.
What is brilliant in the movie is the relationship between the brother and sister and the accuracy with which this is portrayed whilst still allowing for the fact that he is 14 and she is just 4 - and they both act true to their ages. The angst of some of the moments is just so painful - when Seita has to cremate Setsuko's body, for example. And when he realises that Setsuko has died as a result of his decisions, his pain is palpable. It is an anti-war movie - but it's not. There is no grand scene, no soapboxing but there is the clear portrayal of war as something drives everybody to such desperation that they live barely human lives.
It is just agonizing watching this movie but it's a good agony!
First look at watch - NEVER - besides which, I had *something in my eye* for quite a bit of the movie!
Set in WWII Japan in the final days of the war, this tells the story of Seita and his sister Setsuko, trying to surive after their mother is killed in an air raid. It shows their struggle to keep an ordinary lifestyle and then living with their Aunt and finally their descent into desperation as they have to survive on their own and without money, whilst surviving air raids and other hazards. What steers this away from other movies of its sort is that it doesn't go well, largely as a result of Seita's inability to take care of his sister, resulting her death from malnutrition and his own death a little later.
What is brilliant in the movie is the relationship between the brother and sister and the accuracy with which this is portrayed whilst still allowing for the fact that he is 14 and she is just 4 - and they both act true to their ages. The angst of some of the moments is just so painful - when Seita has to cremate Setsuko's body, for example. And when he realises that Setsuko has died as a result of his decisions, his pain is palpable. It is an anti-war movie - but it's not. There is no grand scene, no soapboxing but there is the clear portrayal of war as something drives everybody to such desperation that they live barely human lives.
It is just agonizing watching this movie but it's a good agony!
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I really liked that movie, but haven't seen it in quite a while... maybe I should get a hold of it and see it again.
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