grave of the fireflies

Anime is deceptive. The underlying depth of emotions, poignance imparted amidst the visually appealing pictures that move.
Grave of the fireflies chronicles the journey and eventual demise of a brother -sister duo, set in Japan during the World War 2. The sadness not just comes from the idea of death or aftermath of a war but a lot more than it. The thoughtful exploration of pride and parallels drawn between a human and a firefly and the associated fragility.
The narrative tears one’s heart and breaks it apart. The sheer desperation and helplessness that life is capable of putting one in, serves as an ephemeral reminder of its extent of cruelty.
The short-lived innocence and the ethos of living along with the suffering of a loved one is a prominent motif that pervades in the film. The light of the fireflies brightens up their face while starting a new lease but the hope goes into numbness by watching them buried the very next day.
The brother’s relentless efforts to protect his sister’s innocence is shaken with her realisation about their mother’s fate. Adversities push him to do whatever needs to be done, resolves to stealing to feed her but that doesn’t stop her inevitable heart wrenching death. The morbidity lies in the dark truth about the ugly face of humanity when people do not help fellowmen. The candy Jar being thrown away is symbolic of destruction of her last happy memory. Nevertheless, we get/don’t get what we (not) deserve. This is life.