Isao Takahata
Una Tomba Per Le Lucciole

"On the evening of September 21, 1945, I died."

And it is with these words that the film begins in the city of Kobe, in the foyer of a train station. Collapsed in a corner and amid the indifference of passersby, a boy dies of hunger. A man confirms the death and throws onto a meadow the last object that belonged to the boy, a rusty candy tin (from his sister). The tin is surrounded by a light, some fireflies start to circle around it and the ghost of a little girl appears, who after a few moments is joined by the ghost of the boy. They are the two protagonists of this story, Seita and Satsuko, brother and sister; they board a train while the fireflies dance around them. The film’s backdrop fades to a dull red specifically to emphasize an alternate dimension, while the train moves forward, and from the window, the bombings of Kobe can be seen, which play a significant role during the film and from where the story begins.

The air raid is told by Takahata with an extremely realistic approach, demonstrating how the director has the memory of those moments well ingrained in his mind. The two children look around incredulously, in silence, as the fire begins to spread. Seita reaches the beach and reveals to us Kobe completely engulfed in flames. There is a particular scene among the dead and flames, where a man, likely wandering without direction, shouts: "Long live our emperor!" despite the screams and the dead in the background.

The moment Seita discovers his dead mother—the pain, burnt flesh, blood, and suffering—it is evident from the start that "Grave of the Fireflies" is not a film for children.

Practically forced by their aunt, the two children choose to live alone, inside a small cave that is used both as a "home" and as a shelter during air raids. The scene where the two children capture and release a lot of fireflies seems almost like a dream that detaches momentarily from the harsh reality.

The next day, the little sister digs a grave for the dead fireflies, in which Seita sees the mass grave where his mother was thrown, and the tears begin to fall. In the end, hunger forces Seita to steal food until he is caught red-handed, beaten, and taken to a police station. Released, he reunites despairingly with Setsuko for not being able to take care of his increasingly sick sister. Seita does everything for his sister, even stealing in the homes of fleeing people, but all his efforts cannot prevent the awful fate that awaits his sister and subsequently himself.

Setsuko falls asleep forever, and Seita stays by her side, embraced with a lifeless body. Seita cremates the little girl’s corpse, and when evening comes, thousands of fireflies rise into the sky, in a way to honor yet another victim.

Upon hearing that the imperial fleet has been destroyed and that Japan has lost the war, Seita immediately understands that his father is also dead and that he is now alone in the world.

In the final scene, the ghosts of Seita and Setsuko reunite, watching present-day Kobe as they observe the economic boom.

Unfortunately, this film did not achieve success, also because in the same year (also from Studio Ghibli) one of the most famous works by colleague Hayao Miyazaki, "My Neighbor Totoro," was released and overshadowed it. "Grave of the Fireflies" is a true masterpiece.

Watch it, and don’t do it again.