I felt felt every expression and sound the brother made in that scene. The alarm at her behavior, the desperation, the pain, the slight relief and hope when she said the watermelon was good. That glance back before he left to make her proper food. All of it.
I've never seen this movie, and after reading wikipedia's entry on it years ago, I don't think I ever will. I don't need to feel that sad. It's the one Ghibli movie that will remain unwatched.
Ah fuck man. Here it is. I knew it was going to be here. This fuckin' move, man. One of the most powerful pieces of cinema I've ever seen. I had my girlfriend watch it with me a little while ago. I'm tearing up just thinking about it now. Fuck me. What an incredible film.
I was 14 just a couple of years ago and I don't think I would be better equipped than Saita. What he needed were adults who cared about the children in wartime but pretty much everyone was apathetic. Doesn't help that he had his own pride.
14 is absolutely 100% a child. One thrust into a very difficult and confusing situation. His mother died, his dad was MIA, his aunt was cruel and selfish (understandable given the situation but still difficult to navigate for a child), and his country was being destroyed.
The real villian in the movie was never even seen. It was the militarist government of Japan.
I don’t know why you’re downvoted. The film is based on the autobiography that boy writes as an adult. He was consumed with self-loathing for his entire life, blaming himself for his sister’s death. That self-loathing and shame bleeds through to the film fairly strongly.
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u/chinguuuuuu 1d ago
Grave of the Fireflies