Film
Grave of the Fireflies
Directed by Isao Takahata • 1988 • 89m • ★ 8.4
Animation
Drama
War
Summary
Amid the rubble and the wail of sirens left in the wake of the bombing of Kobe, a whole new reality unfolds for two children. Fourteen-year-old Seita and his younger sister, Setsuko, take refuge in an abandoned concrete shelter.
Directed by Isao Takahata, this animated drama portrays the silent resilience of two siblings struggling to survive in the devastating shadow of World War II. Amid days of hunger, a search for hope—as faint as a matchstick but just as resilient—continues.
Original Title
火垂るの墓
Director
Isao Takahata
Writer
Isao Takahata
Cast
Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi, Masayo Sakai, Kozo Hashida, Kazumi Nozaki, Yoshio Matsuoka, Masahiro Kanetake, Kiyoshi Yanagawa
Year
1988
Country
Japan
Language
Japanese
Awards
3 wins total
Rated
NR
sibling relationship
hunger
world war ii
wartime
shelter
struggle for survival
brother sister
pacific theater
adult animation
semi autobiographical
anti war
anime
orphan siblings
children in wartime
brother and sister