Grave of the Fireflies: A Delightful Story of Childhood at its Most Joyous

That, my dear friends, is what we call "sarcasm."

I've long been a fan of Studio Ghibli, but it's only been recently that I've come across this title - probably because it's not a film that Disney has the distribution rights to.  The more I've read about Ghibli's output, though, the more Grave sounded like a film I had to check out.  It's not the delightful magic of childhood that caught my attention, though.  Rather, I was drawn to a story that was destined to move slowly, inexorably, to a tragic conclusion.

That's not a spoiler, by the way.  The opening scene of the movie shows us the death of the main character.  His days are numbered from the title screen.  So what we get, then, is the story of a small boy and his even smaller sister, struggling to survive in a Japan devastated by firebomb attacks during World War II.

Like everything put out by Ghibli, Grave is a beautiful, beautiful film  Gorgeous, even.  The devastated Japanese countryside is rendered with sublime detail.  That makes the tragic deaths all the more heartrending to watch.

So this was a film made ostensibly for children, but that doesn't mean it's a simple story.  It doesn't talk down to its audience - it doesn't sugar coat its subject matter.  Death is painful, death is slow, and death is inevitable.

Probably the most fascinating aspect of the story, at least from my perspective, is the interpretation by filmmaker Isao Takahata.  Apparently, despite the death and tragedy that surrounds the American attacks on Japan during World War II, Takahata claims that Grave of the Fireflies is NOT an anti-war film.  Rather, he says (at least, according to Wikipedia) that the story is something of a meditation on how the children fail because of their removal from society.  They try to live on their own, and that's ultimately what causes their suffering.

At least, I think that's what he was going for.  I'm taking a lot of liberties with a brief synopsis of one man's opinion based on a third-hand source with innumerable editors.

It's not an easy movie to watch, but not every movie should be an easy one.  As far as hearty, bran-muffin-style entertainment goes, Grave of Fireflies is one of the more challenging, worthwhile movies I've seen in a while.  It's readily available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and I'm sure most libraries carry it.  If you find yourself in the mood for a good depression, check it out.