John Cole
05-10-2003, 06:35 AM
After reading Chuck Weinstock's review of Spirited Away, I grabbed it along with Grave of the Fireflies, another Japanese anime film. Grave is the story of an adolescent boy, Seita, and his five year old sister, Setsuko, who become the victims of a firebomb attack on Kobe in WWII.
The film opens with the "rei," or spirit, of Seita intoning, "September 21, the day I died." A body lies in the train station, and passersby remark about the "bum" who sleeps there. The "bum," though, is Seita, and he has already died of starvation. Titles roll.
Seita scrambles to bury whatever foodstuffs the family has, while his mother makes her way to the air raid shelter. He has been left in charge of his sister. As they head for the shelter, firebombs explode around them, and the city bursts into flames. Later, Seita will discover his mother fatally wounded, and he and Setsutko go to live with an aunt and her family who mistreat both children. The two children leave the aunt's home, and for the rest of the film, we watch their struggle to find food and survive.
The film is punctuated by moments of pure joy between the two children amidst the tragedy that envelops them. In one scene, Seita captures fireflies and brings them into the cave where the children are living, much to Setsutko's delight. The next morning, Setsutko has dug a grave and buries the fireflies as she asks her brother why they died. At this point, we learn that Setsutko's aunt has told Setsutko of her mother's death, news that Seita has tried to keep from her.
Although Seita tries to find enough food, he cannot, and Setsutko starves. The film closes with a glorious, moving final scene when Setsutko's "rei" joins her brother.
Grave of the Fireflies is a must see. It's one of the finest anti-war films I've ever seen, and it's also, along with Whistle Down the Wind and Spirit of the Beehive, one of the great films about how the world appears through the eyes of children.
The film opens with the "rei," or spirit, of Seita intoning, "September 21, the day I died." A body lies in the train station, and passersby remark about the "bum" who sleeps there. The "bum," though, is Seita, and he has already died of starvation. Titles roll.
Seita scrambles to bury whatever foodstuffs the family has, while his mother makes her way to the air raid shelter. He has been left in charge of his sister. As they head for the shelter, firebombs explode around them, and the city bursts into flames. Later, Seita will discover his mother fatally wounded, and he and Setsutko go to live with an aunt and her family who mistreat both children. The two children leave the aunt's home, and for the rest of the film, we watch their struggle to find food and survive.
The film is punctuated by moments of pure joy between the two children amidst the tragedy that envelops them. In one scene, Seita captures fireflies and brings them into the cave where the children are living, much to Setsutko's delight. The next morning, Setsutko has dug a grave and buries the fireflies as she asks her brother why they died. At this point, we learn that Setsutko's aunt has told Setsutko of her mother's death, news that Seita has tried to keep from her.
Although Seita tries to find enough food, he cannot, and Setsutko starves. The film closes with a glorious, moving final scene when Setsutko's "rei" joins her brother.
Grave of the Fireflies is a must see. It's one of the finest anti-war films I've ever seen, and it's also, along with Whistle Down the Wind and Spirit of the Beehive, one of the great films about how the world appears through the eyes of children.