Grave of the Fireflies

NZ release: 16 April 1988

Adult themes Rated on: 16 April 1988

Grave of fireflies

What’s it about?

Two siblings struggle to survive in Japan during WWII.

The facts

  • Directed by Isao Takahata (The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Only Yesterday)
  • Japanese language or English dub
  • Runtime: 90 mins
  • Animated film by Studio Ghibli (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle)

Why did it get this rating?

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Content that may disturb

War violence is shown through a bombing raid, corpses, and explosions. Charred bodies, injured people with bloody bandages, and corpses are shown in the film. In one scene, we see a corpse wrapped from head to toe in bloody bandages. One strong scene includes a corpse with rotting flesh covered in bandages, with flies and maggots on them. Another scene includes corpses being dumped into a mass grave. This may be disturbing for younger viewers.

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