Softly dreamy, painterly drawings match the narrative's unflinching humanism.
Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies, based on a Japanese short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, is a heavy war drama about two young siblings struggling to survive during the final months of World War II. Likely due to its tragic, uncompromising content, the film was initially a box office failure in Japan and the United States, but over time has become internationally recognized as a masterwork. Softly dreamy, painterly drawings match the narrative's unflinching humanism.