Grave of the Fireflies
12A
Why watch?
“Even though I adore hopeful films like Harvey and Paddington, it turns out I’m a sucker for utterly devastating portrayals of siblings fending for themselves because Grave of the Fireflies and Nobody Knows both completely have my broken heart. Studio Ghibli animations are always visually spectacular, and Grave of the Fireflies is no exception – the fireflies especially. However, most Ghibli films are a fantastical escape, whereas this one deals with the gruesome impact of war, so the contrast of its beauty and the horrors it depicts hits even harder. It’s the perfect expression of how precious our world and its people are, and how endless the reasons not to decimate such beauty with war are. Even thinking and writing about this film moves me to tears, but it’s worth the tears – watch it if you haven’t already.”
Martha Boyd,
Digital Marketing Coordinator
More cinema of despair this Bleak Week
When an American air raid kills their mother in the final days of World War II, 14 year-old Seita and his 4 year-old sister Setsuko are left to fend for themselves in the devastated Japanese countryside. After falling out with their only living relative, Seita does his best to provide for himself and his sister by stealing food and making a home in an abandoned bomb shelter. But with food running short, the siblings can only cling to fleeting moments of happiness in their harsh reality.
Deftly depicting the beauty of the human spirit as well as its devastating cruelty, Grave of the Fireflies is a singular work of art from Academy Award nominated director and Studio Ghibli co-founder, the late Isao Takahata.
These screenings are a 12A certificate so younger children are able to attend in line with the BBFC guidelines however both are in Japanese language with English subtitles.
Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair is presented in partnership with the American Cinematheque and Prince Charles Cinema.
Details
“ It's a war story as wrenching as any live-action movie, and it has reduced many a viewer to tears – this one included. ”
The Guardian
“Grave of the Fireflies is an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation.”
Roger Ebert
“Grave of the Fireflies is both one of the greatest war films ever made and one of the greatest animated films ever made. The animation, bringing war-torn Japan to life, is as hauntingly beautiful as it is relentlessly bleak.”
Screen Rant
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