Mokuyobi Post - Grave of the Fireflies

Grave of the Fireflies is a theatrical historical drama that originally was released in Japan in 1988.  The story is based off of a semi-autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka.  The film was produced by Studio Ghibli and was directed by Isao Takahata.

    The story follows the struggles of siblings Seita and Setsuko at the end of Wolrd War 2, following the fire bombing of Kobe and shortly after the war ends.  Following the death of their mother they go to live with thei aunt who treats them like a burden and exploits them while feeding them very little.  After deciding that they will be better on their own then continue to be exploited and abused by their uncaring relative they fend for themselves, but are really unequipped to survive in the desolation and aftermath of the war.

    This is a really powerful and depressing movie that shows the horrors of war and horrors of mankind.  While Mr. Nosaka survived the war to write about his experiences, the rest of his family was not so fortunate and he based some of the events in the story on what he witnessed happen to his family.  It's hard to not watch this movie and be moved or moved to tears.  This is an important movie into the human condition, perhaps more powerful than Barefoot Gen.  So please watch it and take something away from it.  The movie has been commercially available in North America for a long time and is readily available.  There have also been two live action adaptations but these do not appear to be readily available.