GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (1988) : MOST DEVASTATING MOVIE EVER WATCHED
GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (1988)
Language : Japanese
Release date : 16 April, 1988
Cuntry : Japan
IMDb : 8.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes : 100%
My rating : 8.7/10
STORY
Grave of the fireflies is an animated war movie based on the consequences of World War II. The movie is about two siblings, an elder brother and younger sister, Seita and Setsuko.
The story starts with a teenager boy with tatters on his body lying on the ground with a support of a pillar in a railway station. There was hardly any energy left in his body and there was no hope of living in his eyes. He starved to death in the same spot. A janitor of station inspected his dead body and found a ragged tin of candy.
He threw that tin in a grass field full of fireflies that night. Two figures emerged between those fireflies. Spirit of boy, Seita from railway station and a girl child, Setsuko were playing between those fireflies.
Next scene was from the past from World war II. Seito was burying some eatables in the ground. Next thing they heard was a alarm for an air attack. Seita tied his sister on his back and went to search for a safe place. Somehow, they managed to survive that attack but their house burnt down. They went to local school as first aid was organised there by government.
Seito soon found out that his mother is badly injured in this attack. The doctor gave him a ring which belonged to his mother. He was very upset but he concealed this news from his sister. He told her that their mother is injured but soon she shall recover and they will meet her.
They went to their aunt's place in a nearby village as they had no place to live. Seita wrote a letter to his father who was a navy officer of Japan and was waiting for his reply.
Seita went to his village to bring the eatables which he buried earlier. There was also a tin of candies in that eatables. He planned to give it to her sister. His village was fully destroyed. Not a single house was left in good condition. He got the news of his mother’s death. He was devastated but he concealed this from his sister. He does not want to make her sad. Later, he told his aunt about his mother's death but told her not to tell this to Setsuke. He also gave that tin of candy to his sister.
Seita found out that their parents had left some decent amount of money in their bank account.
They decided to live in the their aunt’s house until they receive their father's letter. She treated them well at the beginning but soon she started hesitating in giving them proper food. She also asked them to leave her place and live anywhere else as she no extra food to feed them. They had no place to live other than their aunt’s place.
Lastly, Seita had no choice other than to move. So he took their belongings on a cart and left that place with her little sister. They decided to live in a old shelter on the outskirts of that village.
Life was not easy for those two children without their parents. There was not enough food to eat for them. Sometimes, Seita was able to bring food by selling some goods but mostly they had to eat frogs from a nearby pond and sometimes, they even had to sleep with their stomach empty. Soon, they had nothing to sell for food. They were hungry. Setsuko told her brother that her stomach is aching.
Soon, Seita started to steal vegetables and fruits from villager’s field to feed her sister.
One day, he was caught by a villager while he was trying to steal food. He was beaten very badly by villager. Then, he was handed to the cop but the cop was very kind and he released him as he heard that his sister is ill. He returned home and found out that his sister was lying unconscious on the ground. He took her to the doctor. Doctor told him that she needs proper food as she was malnourished.
He asked his sister to rest in the shelter while he brings food from the money at the bank account in city.
While he was withdrawing his money in bank, he heard two men talking that Japan lost the war to America. He enquired about the navy ships. They told him that all the ships were destroyed and all navy army died including his father. He broke down.
He returned to his sister with food for her. He saw that she was lying and eating stones considering it as food. She was in very bad condition. He put a piece of watermelon in her mouth and told her to eat it and he is going to cook food for her. She slept and never woke up again. She died due to hunger.
She used to eat stones and clay lumps as they had no food. It worsened her condition. He arranged for her funeral and burnt her dead body. He kept that tin of candy with him.
First his father and now his sister, they both died. It broke him completely. He had nobody in the world. He had no hope to live. He died at that railway station his hands clutching around that candy tin remembering her sister.
REVIEW
This movie is heart wrenching and painful. As the movie shows, war brings only sufferings from both the sides. The two children can be seen dealing with problems during World War II.
This movie has some joyful parts. There was one scene, in which Seita gave that tin of candy to Setsuko. She became very happy as she got it. She used to eat one candy from it at a time. It made her forget her hunger and gave her instant happiness. When the candies ended, Seita put some water in it and she drank that water from that can. At last, when Satsuke died, Seito kept that can with him as it was his sister's last belonging.
Fireflies are also explained very beautifully in this movie. Setsuko can be seen as digging graves of fireflies and asked her brother about early death of them. Fireflies are personified as good people in this movie.
Overall, movie is excellent and worth watching.
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