Grave of the Fireflies  

Been busy with work lately and there's nothing good to say. Last week while getting some rest over the weekend, i had catch a film on dvd. It's an animation film from Japan titled "Grave of the Fireflies".

Normally do not post discussion on films myself as there are not many good ones which deserved a mention. But this film (IMHO) ranks among such great films as Casablanca, Shawshank Redemption, Blade Runner, the LOTR trilogy, E.T., Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, The Deer Hunter, and chinese cinema greats like Chungking Express, A Better Tomorrow, Infernal Affairs (remade by Martin Scorsese as 'The Departed'), and Cest La Vie, Mon Cheri.

It's not the form that's important but the story and the feelings it evoked. At its core, it also has a serious theme about war and its consequence on children. Although the tone is serious but the film itself is beautiful in its simplicity. The scenes in the film has to be seen to be appreciated.

Many a film has depicted the suffering of human during war but few have shown its horror through the eyes of children. One critic said "It is the most profoundly human animated film I've ever seen." The mark of a great film is not that it is entertaining but one that makes you think.

The film is produced by the world renowned animation studio, Studio Ghibli. Their other equally good animated films includes 'My Neighbour Totoro', 'Whisper Of The Heart', 'Spirited Away', 'Princess Mononoke' and their latest 'Tales From Earthsea'. All films has a very humanistic theme although some of them tends to veer towards the idealistic.

Here's a link to a review i found on the web about this film from a respected film critic, Roger Ebert.
Link: http://rogerebert.suntime...

A short preview trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_KCRIDbEXM