Jeff's Reviews

Thoughts on every movie I've ever seen.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Directed by Isao Takahata

Starring Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi

Author

Tragic and humbling. Displayed almost all of the classic tags of a good art film: time/history piece (WWII), temporal disjunction, picturesque settings, fantastic composition, interesting camera angles, metaphors, and a single metaphorical motif (fireflies). Compare to The English Patient or Like Water for Chocolate.

Not sure if I liked the ending. I would have liked to see them return to the moment of his death as a bookend so that we could truly appreciate the significance of the fruit drop can.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *