Grave of the Fireflies (2012)

Reseña escrita por el estudiante Federico Flechas.

Grave of the Fireflies" is a Japanese anime movie, produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Isao Takahata. It is based on Akiyuki’s Nosaka’s 1967 short story of the same name, which, in turn, is based on Nosaka's own experiences during the war.

Two siblings, (a teenager named Seita and a girl named Setsuko), live in 1940’s Japan, with an ordinary life in a small village. One day, their village gets bombed, and they lose their house and mom. This creates a need for Seita to keep his sister alive and healthy; however, they face scarcity of food and water. After leaving their aunt’s house and struggling for months, especially after leaving their aunt’s house. In the end,in spite of Seita’s efforts, Setsuko dies.

War is portrayed in a very particular way in this movie. The film does not directly emphasize on violence and blood, but on a post-war perspective of loss. We don’t see the view of the government, but of two siblings, who are not even adults, and who lose their parents. The film calls for a reflection on how difficult war can be for a small population, and more so for these two kids, who go through a situation that millions of children have gone through in diverse catastrophes of humanity. Something wonderful, and at the same time painful, that the movie leads us to think about is the fact that children like Seita and Setsuko die and are forgotten, and no one notices, or cares, and no one helps them, and they give everything they have to take care of themselves and stay safe, and they have to do it completely alone, without anyone noticing, and without them being to blame.

This movie deserves a 5/5. I highly recommend it, because it gives us a very different perspective on war, childhood, humanization, symbolism and masculinity. The film manages to awaken many emotions in the viewer, because it is very careful with the details and facial gestures, with the landscapes, the music, and much more importantly the use of light. The use of light and colours in this film is fantastic; it helps us understand the passing of time and conveys emotions like absence and hope, which is very difficult to do in an anime movie. This one does it in a wonderful way.