Saddest movie... EVER!!

Sad as in the emotion, not sad as in quality.

As you well know, I am a movie buff. I'm into horror movies, animation, sci-fi, action, dramas, you name it. Out of all the movies I've seen, none has ever made me quite as sad and depressed as Grave of the Fireflies, a 1988 Studio Ghibli animated film from director Isao Takahata. Imagine the really evocative movies like Schindler's List, Sophie's Choice, and Titanic, now multiply that by 50, and you've reached Grave of the Fireflies.

This is the story of Seita and Setsuko, teenage brother and very young sister, whose village is firebombed during the course of WWII. Their family is killed and they struggle to make it on their own in WWII Japan. It's a beautifully-made movie, one of the best war movies ever made, and has in it some of the most horrible things I've ever seen. Not in terms of gore, but in terms of the tragedies of war. I don't think an animated movie has ever seemed so real before.

I never recommend this movie to anyone. Which is odd, sure, but after how depressed I felt after the movie, I can't willingly suggest that someone else go through that. I don't think I'll ever see this movie again, despite it's greatness. Maybe it's because Setsuko reminds me of my niece. She'll probably remind you of yours too.

One of the best movies I've ever seen. Don't go see it.


EDITORIAL NOTE: If you read the previous version of this post, you'll know that it was quite different. I just didn't like the way it sounded, hence the change. I'll stick with this one.