I thought Ponyo to Nausicaä was a drastic tonal shift? Oops.
Grave of the Fireflies, a 1993 film directed by the recently passed-away Isao Takahata, is a war drama set in Japan during the end of World War II. This alone meant that from the first frame, it was unlike any movie I had ever seen before. A WWII movie where Japan isn’t the villain? A WWII movie where—though never present onscreen—the United States of America is the villain? As an American citizen who as such has ingested the omni-present oo-rah Saving-Private-Ryan narrative from birth, this aspect of the film alone was deeply disturbing. It’s one thing to watch Japanese planes destroy Pearl Harbor ad nauseum, but it is another thing entirely to watch our planes rain fire and devastation on Japanese civilians. Grave of the Fireflies is careful to never let more than a few scenes pass by without a siren announcing the arrival of another air raid; there’s no chance of forgetting who is directly causing the tragedy unfolding in front of you. |
This entirely new point of view alone is sufficient reason for any American to watch this movie; it’s far from the only reason, however. This movie is
as beautiful as it is heartrending. Or maybe it’s beautiful because it is heartrending. In one of the movie’s few acts of mercy to the viewer, it opens with the protagonist, young Seita, dying. We see his spirit join that of his younger sister, Setsuko, and as the extended flashback begins, we already know there is no Disney ending awaiting us. By clueing us in with the opening scene, Grave of the Fireflies avoids stringing the viewer along, which would have been cruel, but it trades that cruelty for another, wherein the viewer feels a perverse tension as they wait for the inevitable demise of these children to bring an end to their agonizing story. I don’t mean to make the movie sound like 89 minutes of unbroken tragedy; watching it is all the more moving for the small, improbable moments of joy Seita and Setsuko find along the way. Of course, none of these moments remains untarnished, whether it’s a trip to the beach ruined by debris from an air raid or a beautiful display of fireflies ruined by their death within a mosquito net. Still, these moments will carry you through the heartbreak by letting these two children be children, even if just for a moment. |
Studio Ghibli’s animation continues to improve with time. While, appropriately, we don’t get any Delicious Ghibli Food™, we do see the beginning of the studio’s distinctive tendency to animate mundane but utterly human actions, just because they can. It stood out to me in Ponyo when Sosuke holds his shorts up out of the water as he wades into the ocean to pick up a goldfish in a jar, and it stands out in countless moments here as well, like Setsuko’s difficulty opening the candy tin, or the two siblings’ preparation to swim at the beach. I don’t think any other studio has managed to capture these small moments the way Ghibli does.
Grave of the Fireflies is a beautiful film, but it does have a few flaws that leave it short of perfection. The voice acting is hit or miss, especially Setsuko’s. A bigger problem is Seita and Setsuko’s Mean Aunt. I’m not sure if the problems come from bad writing, bad translation, bad direction, or bad voice acting, but she is an utterly one-dimensional character. She is the Mean Aunt, and we never get a clue as to why she is so consistently and needlessly cruel to her niece and nephew. Her scenes are unpleasant to watch, with all the pain but none of the beauty of the rest of the movie. I was also a bit confused when Seita withdrew money from the bank near the end of the story. After showing us how desperate he was to care for his sister, the movie owes the viewer a little explanation before having him suddenly withdraw what is apparently enough money to solve all their problems. In spite of a few issues, this is still a very well-made movie. In trying to describe it, I’m reminded of my feelings as I tried to record a visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to Holocaust victims. “Beautiful” sounds too positive, “terrible” too negative, “informative” too dry, “compelling” too vague. In the end, I can say that Grave of the Fireflies is powerful, moving, and haunting. I recommend it to all (adults), but don’t plan anything for the rest of the day. You’ll need it. Next up: Totoro, and thank goodness for that. |