A brother and sister try to survive by themselves in WWII-ravaged Japan.
Holy hell. What did I just subject myself to? I was warned and still I chose to track this movie down. My thought process was "It's animated. It can't really be that sad." Apparently, I forgot how even Disney films are littered with things like the opening minutes of Up or the end of Bambi that devastated me. Grave of the Fireflies is a-whole-nother level though. It's a remarkable look at a horrible situation that is terrifyingly plausible. I don't think it's possible to prepare yourself for something this aggressive dour. I wasn't even this shaken by Requiem for a Dream. Maybe season 4 of The Wire. That was rough too.
In fact, the only negative thing I can say about the movie is that it was almost too constructed to rip a hole through your heart. I've heard people refer to the "cry Olympics" for shows like This is Us or Parenthood, that try to one-up how much they can make you cry. For Grave of the Fireflies, it's the "misery Olympics". But, that's exactly the point of the movie. It's barely an hour and a half. The story does move forward. It just never moves upward. It's supposed to be a worst-case scenario. The movie literally starts by letting you know that.
I don't know if I will ever watch this movie again, but I'm glad I finally got around to it once. Now excuse me while I go play with a puppy or something. I need to feel again.
Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend*
*I mean, but be warned.
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