The film you only watch one! - 'Grave of the Fireflies' 1988

Haunting, Captivating, Horrifying and a film that you only watch once.

I watched Grave of the Fireflies over my summer holiday and I can honestly say it was one of the most difficult films I have ever had to watch in my life. I genuinely had to take a break because it was so hard hitting.

Honestly, I think the film was designed to break you emotionally.

Nonetheless, it is extremely profound, important and imperative viewing for all of us.

In essence, it is a film that shows us the cost of war. Set in Japan during the final months of the Pacific War. It takes us through the lived experience of semi-fictional orphans Seita and Setsuko clinging onto survival during American firebombings of Japanese towns, nationwide famine, destruction and turmoil.

Semi-fictional? The even sadder reality is that it is based on a book written by Akiyuki Nosaka which was a Semi-Autobiographical account of he and his sister's fight for for survival during the war.

Uniquely, the film is Animated by the legendary 'Studio Ghibli' Japanese Animation Studio known for whimsical animated classics like Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro yet this film is certainly absent in presenting a light and whimsical tone.

Director Isao Takahata shows us the depressing losing survival battle that our protagonists go on throughout the course of the film. Yet, the beauty and also pain of the film is that in the darkest of times, Seita and Setsuko as brother and sister, do their best to be kids during the heartbreak and devastation.

Credit: Cartoon Brew

Seita the older brother, does his upmost to provide for his younger sister Setsuko and also allow her to play and enjoy some semblance of a childhood.

Setsuko and the Fireflies (Credit: IMDB)

Yet, the film cruelly uses the firefly as a cinematic device to represent the children. Setsuko asks, 'they are so bright but why do they die so early', tragically the film is comparing the two siblings to the fireflies. The siblings shine so brightly and beautifully together, they are so caring, compassionate and loving towards each other, showing the best of humanity but the cruelty of war is that it will wipe out unprotected children and for those who survive it will wipe out their innocence.

The light of childlike wonder, joy and beauty is destroyed by the sickening reality of fire, devastation, darkness, scarcity and famine.

Credit: BBC

Multiple times in the film the siblings are at the mercy of other adult's kindness and often they are shown little compassion and empathy. They are seen as collateral and sometimes a burden by the remaining adults who are able to help them. Whilst Seita's choices in the film are questioned by some audiences (maybe rightly), it is no question that the film shows us a picture of an adult population concerned with protecting their own and their own lot, anything outside it is a drain and leach. The Orphans are treated as such by much of the adult population. What war will do to our spirits and hearts...

Being animated, plays into the films strengths, the film is artistic, captivating and beautifully captures so many themes within the film; the child-like glee of young Setsuko, as an audience we feel instantly protective towards her, the fireflies representing the children but also the shortlived nature of their lives as well as dualistically also representing the imagery of firebombs crashing down on Japan. The fireflies are metaphorical for life and death...the fizzle but also fire of life admist a short, waning and finite nature.

The animation also creates a visceral realism, we see horrors that no person let alone child should see in this film, I don't want reveal any spoilers but Seita sees horrors near the beginning of the film that no 14 year old boy should see.

The realism feels almost counter intuitive but their is a logic to this; ironically, real life acting can seem stiff and lifeless yet created paper drawings can seem fluid, authentic and real, and possessing deep insight and depth that an actor cannot always connect with.

Due to the animation their is no acting, the imagined person is reacting truly and authentically to each event unfold. As an audience our suspension of disbelief is kept from the start, there's no need to engage with any acting, we can just engage the masterful animating and masterful world construction.

Credit: Netflix. You can watch the movie on Netflix now. Clear the rest of your day though, be warned..

It's commonly thought that we are living in desensitised times. We also live is cynical times. But still in many places in the world they live in brutal war torn times Gaza, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine just to name a few. Yet the message of the film is whichever side of the war we focus on. Regular people and CHILDREN will pay the highest price. And to them from their perspective, it feels as if...for what? Why? Good and bad countries, important?!...

Not so much...

innocence, joy, glee and youth is everything, the most important...

and yet so fleeting and fragile...

and yet the most precious part of our humanity that requires the most protection and preservation. When we lose this we lose so much more alongside it.

Credit: Dawn.Com

Don't forget that what you will feel watching this film is minute, minute, minute, absolutely miniscule, compared to the infinite and incomprehensible pain and suffering of being in a war torn place and losing loved ones (unless of course you have experienced it yourself).

Yet, I think this film is what the Doctor ordered for us all. The type of preventative medicine you don't want to take, but MUST!

It's very very grounding (the gravity is REAL here I promise). I am confident that for 99% of people, you will feel something. If you are able to concentrate, you are forced to confront the inescapable reality of the film, what humans are willing to allow in the name of war.

It was made with the intention of getting us to reckonise the lived experience of those going through such times, connect, empathise and remember after viewing.

We live in quite surface, superficial times; information and even connection is about speed, quantity and efficiency. Even when it comes to learning about history and events, people are looking for AI summaries, yet depth, breadth and true understanding, requires us to learn from multiple dimensions. Books, interviews, discussions, (and of course my most enjoyed version) watching films and documentaries.

Through the depth we have multiple lenses of understanding and hopefully a better connection with others and our world.

In the case of trying to rid the world of such horrors, I don't have the answers yet, and not quite sure where to start. Maybe you reading this and us talking about pieces like Grave of the Fireflies can help.

Thanks for reading.