Netflix has practically the entire Studio Ghibli repertoire, with the exception of one of its earlier masterpieces. Grave of the Fireflies (1988), directed by the company’s co-founder Isao Takahata, was removed owing to rights issues. The video will eventually be available on the platform starting 16 September 2024.
Takahata’s emotionally wrenching work is a departure from his own films as well as other Ghibli productions. Grave of the Fireflies is a tragedy about siblings who cope with degrees of loss during World War II – of their parents, stability, and honour after their country’s military defeat.
Seita, a Kobe resident, is forced to raise his younger sister Setsuko after his mother is killed in a bombing. His father is gone, serving in the Japanese navy. American planes wreaked havoc across Kobe, turning the city to ashes.
Seita doesn’t have time to mourn. He brings Setsuko to a relative’s home in a town unaffected by the conflict. Here, brother and sister take a vacation from their hardships. They find consolation in the simple pleasures of life, such as catching fireflies in their hands or going to the beach.
The hardships imposed on the Japanese catch up with the siblings quickly. The film contains one of the most terrible scenes depicting a child’s death, rivalling Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali in austere severity.
Hunger is a recurring motif throughout the film. Seita’s efforts to feed his naïve sister are neither manipulative or emotional, but rather heartfelt.
The 89-minute film is based on Akiyuki Nosaka’s semi-autobiographical short story with the same title. Grave of the Fireflies conveys the horrors of war and civilian suffering in a way that few other live-action films do.
In an interview with Mami Sunada’s documentary about Studio Ghibli, The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013), Takahata’s colleague and famed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki discussed animation’s benefit over live-action cinema: “Feels like you could go somewhere far beyond.”
Grave of the Fireflies demonstrates this insight. Never once do you get the impression that you are witnessing animated figures move across animated backgrounds.
From the ash that falls on the wreckage of what were once homes and schools to the tears that stream down the faces of youngsters forced to grow up too fast, the film is rich in detail and emotion. The heart hurts as we see Seita’s tries to be courageous for his sister’s sake, Setsuko’s innocence, and their unbreakable link. Grave of the Fireflies transcends style and genre, standing as one of the best films on the brutality of war, regardless of time or place.
