{"id":30006,"date":"2019-01-01T19:38:46","date_gmt":"2019-01-02T00:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=30006"},"modified":"2019-01-01T22:04:09","modified_gmt":"2019-01-02T03:04:09","slug":"you-have-to-see-this-grave-of-the-fireflies-hotaru-no-haka-1988","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/01\/you-have-to-see-this-grave-of-the-fireflies-hotaru-no-haka-1988\/","title":{"rendered":"You Have to See This! Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no haka) (1988)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Opens Friday January 4th<\/sup> for a New York Premiere\u00a030th Anniversary Theatrical engagement!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea of the cost of war has never been more thoughtfully and emotionally conveyed than in Isao Takahata\u2019s \u201cGrave of the Fireflies.\u201d The 1988 animated film is still one of the most emotional and powerful films I\u2019ve ever seen, it\u2019s a film that completely transcends all ideas of storytelling, and destroys any stigma that animation is a child\u2019s medium that is limited in scope and substances, especially when telling human stories.<\/p>\n

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While animation is a wonderful means of children\u2019s entertainment, Hayao Miyazaki\u2019s apprentice Isao Takahata uses the medium to tell easily one of the most crushing films I\u2019ve ever seen. You could argue that it\u2019s the most crushing dramatic film ever made, as it\u2019s a movie that essentially won me over, but kept me from repeatedly watching it. \u201cGrave of the Fireflies\u201d is a masterpiece, but it\u2019s also an emotionally taxing one that completely conveys that terrible effects war can have on everyone, including families. It\u2019s not often movies leave me feeling completely deflated and drained, but \u201cGrave of the Fireflies\u201d accomplishes the task, and yet it\u2019s a movie I strongly recommend to just about everyone I ever meet when discussing wonderful dramas.<\/p>\n

Set at the end of World War II after the surrender of Japan, we meet young Seita who dies alone in a train station. Flashing back to his youth, we meet Seita before his death as well as his baby sister Setsuko. Growing up during the last days of World War II, they survive with the rations and provisions from their father who is serving in the military. When their mother dies a horrible death from burns suffered from an American fire bombing raid, Seita and Setsuko are sent to live with a distant aunt they barely know. As food grows scarce, their aunt begins to mistreat the pair of siblings, forcing Seita to run away with his sister and seek out an existence free from violence and misery.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>But the situation gradually becomes more and more difficult as food runs lows and Setsuko becomes deathly ill. The existence between the pair of siblings is often painted as bittersweet, as they manage to find the beauty out of their surroundings and savor what time they have with each other. But it becomes painfully clear that their time is all but limited, especially as Seita can barely manage to feed himself, let alone his baby sister. The truly gut wrenching turn of events involving Setsuko\u2019s illness and her deteriorating health amounts to painful stakes for Seita who looks for every reason to keep Setsuko smiling and alive, but can barely fight the force of her ailing health.<\/p>\n

Based on a short story by Ariyki Nosaka who lived through this ordeal, coming out of the film is a struggle in itself. Imagining how anyone dealt with this situation, including watching their own baby sister slowly die before their eyes gives \u201cGrave of the Fireflies\u201d an extra dimension of devastating sadness. \u00a0Isao Takahata\u2019s masterful direction paired with the amazing animation turns \u201cGrave of the Fireflies\u201d in to a compelling and heartfelt drama exploring the price of war, and the bonds of family.<\/p>\n