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Grave of the Fireflies

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02:08

Grave of the Fireflies

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• Animation
• Drama

• 1988
• Isao Takahata
• 90 mins
• 12

Summary

Animated Second World War drama set in Japan. After their mother is killed by a bomb during an air raid, teenager Seita and his young sister Setsuko struggle to survive alone during the last days of the war.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

David Parkinson

Based on the acclaimed semi-autobiographical book by Akiyuki Nosaka and directed by Isao Takahata for the famous Studio Ghibli, this is one of Japanimation's undisputed masterpieces. As it opens with the death of its narrator, 14-year-old Seita, who is looking after his young sister, Setsuko, in the days after the end of the Second World War, it's been lauded as a pacifist statement. But, this is just as much a study of the pride and selfishness that overtake ordinarily decent people in the depths of a crisis. With their mother dead and their naval father presumed killed, the siblings seek shelter with an aunt before mutual antipathy drives them on to the streets of Kobe, which has been fire-bombed by the US Air Force. The hopelessness of the children's situation makes for harrowing viewing, especially once sickness and delirium sets in. But the nocturnal sequence with the fireflies has an indelible melancholic beauty.

imdb-square

8.5/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Netflix
• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameSeitaTsutomu TatsumiSetsukoAyano Shiraishi

Crew

rolenameDirectorIsao Takahata

Details

Theatrical distributor

Studio Canal

Released on

2013-05-24

Languages

Japanese

Guidance

Some violence.

Available on

DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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