10 Gut-Wrenching Moments In War Films

Studio Ghibli's Graveyard Of The Fireflies is a heartbreaking film of the innocent inadvertently bearing the consequences and casualties of war. Young protagonists Seita and his younger sister Setsuko are left to their own devices after a falling-out happens with their callous aunt. From there, things slowly evolve from bad to pitiful living conditions that leave them in squalor and scavenging for food.

Seeking refuge in a bomb shelter, Seita tries to provide for his sister by stealing from nearby farmers during bomb raids and provide as much as he can. One day, however, Setsuko becomes ill and after visiting a doctor, Seita is told she is suffering from malnutrition. Pushed to further desperation, he gathers all of his mom's money from the bank to feed Seita.

When he returns to their makeshift home, he finds his sister's condition worsened and in a hallucinatory state. Immediately he prepares a meal for his sister, but in vain as she quietly passes away. Unable to give a proper burial, he places her in a wicker basket with her favorite candies and toys as he mourns silently.

This scene is so impactful and resonates on a personal level of adolescence and incomparable pain; the helplessness of the situation; lack of care from the world; a conflict far removed from their plight. The imagery in the scene seers into memory with the embers resembling the fireflies Setsuko loved so much drift up into the sky like a silent sigh.

It encapsulates the lives neglected during conflict and how easy it is to fall between the cracks of society. It's powerful in its quiet intimate drama and holds the same gravitas of emotion and despair as any blood-soaked battle scene.