You’re bound to cry in front of this tragic film recently released on Netflix, it’s a cinematic masterpiece inspired by a tragic true story.
We’ve all experienced it at least once, the cinematic experience can provoke very strong emotions in the viewer. From laughter to tears, some works are far from leaving us indifferent. While everyone has their favorite films, some of them provoke unanimous reactions. This week, Netflix put online one of the saddest films (if not the film) of all time. Get your tissues ready, you won’t come out of this viewing unscathed.
And once again, the tears come to us from a film from Studio Ghibli. It’s hard to resist this animated feature film, directed by Japanese filmmaker Isao Takahata. Released in 1988, Grave of the Fireflies is not only considered a classic of cinema, but also one of the best war films in history. But if the technique used is that of animation, the feature film remains extremely realistic, making the viewing experience overwhelming
The plot of the Grave of the Fireflies is set in the summer of 1945, during World War II in Japan. A brother and sister, Seita and Setsuko, are orphaned after the bombing of Kobe and are left to fend for themselves. Adapting a semi-autobiographical short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, Isao Takahata drew on his own experiences of World War II, particularly the American bombing of Okayama in June 1945, to realistically depict the horror of war for civilians.
This animated film from Studio Ghibli addresses serious subjects such as mourning, loss, family and sibling relationships, but also what we are prepared to do to survive. Grave of the Fireflies is thus considered one of the most upsetting and hard films in the history of cinema. On Rotten Tomatoes, it is in the top 10 films “that will destroy you”, while Elle listed it in its list of “films that will systematically make you cry”.
While the entire feature film is difficult, since the animation relies on extremely precise realism and a painful scenario, the ending has all the ingredients to finish the spectators. It joined the range of Ghibli films available in the Netflix catalog on Monday, September 16, 2024.
