Just lately I have been enjoying Film 4's Studio Ghibli season immensely. They come around fairly regularly and I always try to tune in, but this one has been excellent and I've managed to catch some more obscure films. However, there is one which has haunted me since I watched it last Friday night: Grave of the Fireflies.
For those who haven't watched I shan't reveal any spoilers, but I do implore you to seek it out! It is a devastating story set at the end of the Second World War in Japan. Ghibli fans will not be disappointed as the animation is beautiful as always, but lent added poignancy because of the subject matter. Being somewhat of a history fan, the context of the film was alone enough to entice me to watch. Aside from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I know very little about Japan during and immediately after the Second World War. The harsh realities of civilian life are unflinchingly represented, and for the last twenty or so minutes I was sobbing. It has been a very long time since a film has made me weep to such a degree, but watching it has inspired me to rectify my ignorance of the history surrounding modern Japan.
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