The last fireflies

Japan, 1945. The country is on the brink of capitulation. Every day, American planes drop bombs from the sky, setting entire regions ablaze. In the inferno of one such attack, fourteen-year-old Seita and four-year-old Setsuko lose their mother. Without their father, who is in the Navy and from whom they haven't heard in a long time, the children suddenly find themselves alone. Their aunt, with whom they initially stay, is far from welcoming to the additional hungry mouths during the prevailing famine. Thus, the siblings move into an abandoned bunker and try to survive on their own. Despite all the suffering, Seita does everything he can to provide his little sister with as carefree a childhood as possible, and indeed, the two spend some happy weeks together. However, the terrible reality of the relentless war soon catches up with them. This film, produced by Studio Ghibli and based on a semi-autobiographical novella by Akiyuki Nosaka, touches and shakes the viewer at the same time. It starkly illustrates how especially children are the innocent victims of war. Rating: Especially valuable!.