Running Time: 89 minutes
Directed By: Isao Takahata
Written By: Isao Takahata, from novel by Akiyuki Nosaka
Main Cast: (voices): J. Robert Spencer, Rhoda Chrosite, Veronica Taylor, Amy Jones, Crispin Freeman
DEPRESSING
Well, my migraine headache turned into, what appears to be, a touch of the flu, which is why I've been away from the blog for a few days. Last night, I was finally able to prop myself up against the wall and take in a movie and today, I feel well enough to drag my very tired and worn out behind to the desk chair and bring you a review.
"Grave of the Fireflies" is a Japanese animation (or anime - of which my only experience with is "Spirited Away - a "Ten Worth Mentioning" movie) that takes place during World War II, after the firebombing of the city of Kobe. The film follows a brother, 14-year-old Seita and his little sister, 4-year-old Setsuko, as they leave their mother to the confines of a bomb shelter, while they secure their home. Meanwhile, their father is a member of the Japanese Navy and hasn't been around for months. Once the raids end, Seita and Setsuko find shelter at the elementary school, which is where Seita learns that his mother was killed in the bombing - news that he decides to keep from Setsuko, despite her constant crying for her mother. The siblings eventually go to stay with their distant aunt, who treats them badly and makes them feel like burdens, eventually making them find and prepare their own meals. With the air raids, there has been a massive food shortage and Seita and Setsuko have a hard time avoiding malnourishment. Ultimately, Seita and Setsuko leave their distant aunt's house and move into a small shelter, on a river bank, near the outskirts of town. There, they won't be bothered and they set up a nice little place, which keeps Setsuko happy. However, eventually the siblings run very low on food and are forced to resort to stealing and selling belongings of their mother's to stay alive.
SPOILER ALERT!
Okay, first off, a few questions:
1) Why didn't Seita and Setsuko go with their mother to the bomb shelter? Okay, so the bomb shelter obviously wasn't that much shelter since their mother died, but why would a mother leave behind her two children (especially one who was only 4-years-old) to make sure she, herself, was safe? I didn't get that.
2) Why was there never any discussion of Seita and Setsuko's part about selling their mother's ring? Actually once Seita gives Setsuko the ring, there's never anymore talk about it, even to say something like "Well, yes we ARE starving, but we just can't sell mom's ring". It's totally forgotten about and you'd think that if these two kids we're starving, staying alive would be more important than holding onto an heirloom.
and now the biggie...
3) WHY...Why didn't Seita withdrawal the money from his mother's account before Setsuko was on the verge of death??? About halfway through the film, he comes out of the bank and tells Setsuko that their mother had 7000 yen deposited - more than enough for them to live on. They leave it at the bank and continue to pillage for food. Later, when Setsuko is near death, Seita finally goes and takes out 3000 yen and buys a big order of groceries. Why wait?? And don't tell me it's because both of his parents were now dead, so now he could legally withdrawal the funds, because he didn't find out his father was dead until after he withdrew the money. That was a huge plot hole, if you ask me.
My other big problem with the film was the animation and I kind of have a differing opinion on this, as on one hand I love the animation and on the other I found it very difficult to relate emotionally with cartoons. Apparently there are a couple live action versions of this film, so I could go that route next time, but I have a feeling that this "Grave of the Fireflies" is the best one. I didn't hate it by any means, I just had several problems with it, from the plot holes to the being able to relate to the animation. I think when viewing animation, I'd rather be seeing tales of a more fantastical element and not animated movies that try to display human emotions.
On the other hand, it is a very depressing, very sad film and when animated figures are able to make you feel that deeply, then obviously the filmmaker's were onto something. The point where we see Seita's bandaged mother really got to me, as I think I literally gasped in horror at the sight. Again, when a drawing can make you gasp like that, it's quite amazing.
RATING: 7/10 I can't really think of anything else to add to this one, so I'll go ahead and wrap it up there and call it a review.
MOVIES WATCHED: 575
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 426
November 11, 2012 11:29am
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