Grave of the Fireflies Highly recommended

Director
Isao Takahata
Production
Studio Ghibli
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Film
Running time
88 mins
Year
1988

Grave of the Fireflies

By Adam Cook
28th Apr 04

Grave of the fireflies centres around two orphaned children during World War 2 in Japan. Their father is fighting the war in the navy and their mother is killed in a bombing raid leaving the older brother (Seita) to take care of himself and his four year old sister (Setsuko). The story explores how strong the human will can be in times of struggle and the desperation the two feel when they are greeted with an indifferent nation that is wrapped up in the war effort.

The film is directed by Isao Takahata (whose other works include My Neighbours the Yamadas) and was released in 1988 with massive critical acclaim and was even released as a double bill with My Neighbor Totoro in Japan (the Japanese get all the luck).

Whilst many describe this film as a war movie it gives the wrong impression of what the film is actually about. Whilst the film is set around the war and the war greatly impacts on the characters involved, the story is about the love of the siblings and the inspiring determination both characters have in the face of great hardship and suffering.

Grave of the fireflies is emotionally charged and pulls the audience in to care about the fates of the characters even though we are privy to their fates at the beginning of the film. I will admit that I was genuinely choked whilst watching a number of the scenes in the film. The reason for this is that there is a very human element to both the story telling and the animation that makes it wholly believable.

The movie opens with a homeless boy (Seita) muttering to himself in a station and eventually dieing. His ghost (or spirit) is present in this scene and acts as a form of narrator for the rest of the film. Seita's spirit is then reunited with the spirit of his sister Setsuko and the real story begins. The fact that the audience is aware of the outcome of the characters future makes what follows more involving and emotional as we know that death for them is inevitable. The director uses the audience's knowledge of future events to great effect by placing greater emphasis on seemingly insignificant events. For example we see Setsuko play a hopping game, and go on the beach to play. Neither scene drives the story along but we as the audience are aware that these experiences will not last and that her life will turn to heartache and eventually to death. These scenes of the 'everyday' offer an insight into how these two lived during times of hardship and how they kept their spirits up whilst offering support for each other. The other characters in the film are often indifferent and callous to the plight of the two characters. The war is the only focus for the other characters, and whilst they may care about Seita and Setsuko they have to look after themselves first and foremost.
The 'significant' scenes in the film (such as the deaths of the children's mother and of Setsuko) are handled with very little sentimentality, especially compared to the rest of the movie. It's an interesting way of tackling potentially the most emotive scenes in the movie. The death scenes are often shot with a distance between the audience and the characters and very little time is given to dwell on the death of the mother. It is very successful though. It offers a more accurate view of death during the war. Neither child would have been afforded the opportunity to grieve properly for their mother. The distance and relative haste of these scenes further accentuates the more insignificant scenes as actually being vital to understanding the characters and their relationship.

Visually Grave of the fireflies is a joy to watch. Whilst I have watched more detailed anime films I have never come across one which captured the mannerisms of a child so successfully. The animators have captured all the tiny nuances of a four year old that may seem irrelevant at first, but helps draw you in and begin to care for the characters. Coupled with the long and numerous scenes of insignificant events it creates a totally believable set of characters that the audience can both identify with and care about. The backgrounds have a great depth to them and appear as if they are painted on canvas to give a stunning texture. This is especially evident in scenes where the sky is heavy with rain or filled with smoke from burning buildings. It gives the impression of age which works so well especially given its setting of World War 2..

The musical score is a traditional classical score that accompanies many films, but like the visuals it works perfectly with the setting. The music is used to great effect when it accompanies a scene in which the spirit of Setsuko can be seen playing outside their shelter during times of relative peace only for her spirit to disappear and all that is left is the damaged remains of their home.

As you can probably tell I loved this movie. It isn't your typical anime movie, there aren't any breasts or blood, and there aren't any large mecha robots, but what it does offer is a personal and emotional account of how determined the human spirit can be and how war ultimately devastates lives and destroys families.
Essential viewing.

-- Adam Cook 28th Apr 04

Grave of the Fireflies Images