Alternately known as Tombstone for
Fireflies, Grave is a very somber film about the struggle of
two children to survive during World War II. Seita and his younger
sister Setsuko are left to fend for themselves when their mother passes
away from severe burns inflicted by the American fire-bombing of their
town. Their father is serving in the Japanese navy, but the children
have not heard from him in a long time, so Seita and Setsuko try staying
with a distant relative. However, Seita doesn't get along well with this
relative and decides to leave, taking Setsuko with him, to live on their
own.
Some interesting trivia: when this film
debuted in Japanese theaters, it was shown as a double-feature with
My Neighbor Totoro!
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