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Poster for Grave of the Fireflies

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

NR ★ 8.4/10 89 min Animation, Drama, War Japan Japanese
Director: Isao Takahata
Screenplay by: Isao Takahata
Short Story: Akiyuki Nosaka
Streaming on:
Why do fireflies have to die so soon?

Description

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

Trailer

Top Cast

Tsutomu Tatsumi
Tsutomu Tatsumi Seita (voice)
Ayano Shiraishi
Ayano Shiraishi Setsuko (voice)
Yoshiko Shinohara
Yoshiko Shinohara Mother (voice)
Akemi Yamaguchi Auntie (voice)
Masayo Sakai Woman who takes care of Setsuko (voice)
Kozo Hashida Obayashi Chairman (voice)
Kazumi Nozaki Cousin (voice)
Yoshio Matsuoka Gosaku (voice)

Grave of the Fireflies Appears on 25 Curated Movie Lists

Canon Institutions

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2024)
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die #218
Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures #430
IMDb Top 250
IMDb #37
Metacritic Must-See Movies of All-Time (Metascore: 81+/100) Redux
Metacritic #145
Metacritics Top 250 Movies Of All Time
Metacritic #81
Sight and Sound’s Greatest Films of All Time 2022
Sight & Sound #236
Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli #04

Critic Curated

Alltime Chicago Tribune Top 100
Chicago Tribune #85
Indiewires 100 Best Movies Of The 1980s
IndieWire #66
Paste Magazine The 100 Best Anime Movies
Paste Magazine #03
Roger Eberts Great Movies
Roger Ebert #138
Rotten Tomatoes 300 Best Movies Of All Time
Rotten Tomatos #68
The Telegraph - 100 Greatest Films Of All Time
The Telegraph #86
The Telegraphs 50 Most Underrated Films Of
The Telegraph #45
The Telegraphs 500 Must See Films
The Telegraph #419
Vulture's 101 Best Movie Endings
Vulture #73

Fun Lists

The Most Perfect Films On Letterboxd
Letterboxd #331

Genre Curation

100 Essential Animations
British Film Institute #30
Discomfort Movies by BFI
British Film Institute #83

Letterboxd Lists

Letterboxd 100: Animation
Letterboxd #01
Letterboxd 120 Highest Rated 1980-1989 Films
Letterboxd #07
Letterboxd Top 100 Movies Rated PG-13
Letterboxd #03
Movies Where A 5 Star Rating Is Most Common
Letterboxd #22
Showdown Fighting With My Family
Letterboxd Showdown #05
Showdown Platoon
Letterboxd Showdown #14

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