Last year, Christopher Nolan ruled the theatres with his biopic Oppenheimer. It is based on J Robert Oppenheimer and his atomic bomb creation. It is not unknown to the people what results it caused in Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the horrors of that incident still haunt the people there. The film was critically and commercially successful but wasn’t shown in Japan. However, it was screened in Hiroshima before a panel that included former mayor Takashi Hiraoka recently ahead of its national theatrical release. The 96-year-old senior was disappointed that Nolan had skipped the destructions it caused in the nation.
The film ruled the award shows this season, from Golden Globes to the Oscars. Nolan’s movie won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Directing. It featured Cillian Murphy in the lead role and Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt in supporting roles. Keep scrolling for more.
Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan focused on the inner turmoil of J Robert Oppenheimer from his point of view. It is based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin. It focused on Robert’s life and how he led the Manhattan Project to develop the world’s first atomic bomb in New Mexico’s Los Alamos.
What do the Japanese think of the film?
On March 12, Bitters End Inc. held a preview screening and panel discussion in Hiroshima as per Asahi to find out about the people’s reaction to the Cillian Murphy-led movie ahead of its theatrical release in Japan.
Former Mayor’s thoughts on the film-
Former Hiroshima Mayor Takashi Hiraoka was reportedly disappointed that Oppenheimer shed more light on the devastating impacts of the atomic bombs. He said, “The film was made in a way to validate the conclusion that the atomic bomb was used to save the lives of Americans.”
The Panelists’ thoughts –
Tatsuya Mori, an esteemed independent documentary filmmaker, said, “The film approaches how tragic and brutal nuclear war is indirectly, without showing any footage, which may be less spectacular for an audience—but when it does reach out to their hearts, the impact is powerful.” He also marked the significance of presenting events from different perspectives.
The panelists also included a US poet, Arthur Binard, a longtime resident of Hiroshima. The panelist appreciated the film for impressively capturing the physicist’s emotional conflict.
High Schol students’ thoughts –
Sotoku High School’s third-year student Yuta Sakata felt the story was engaging despite the absence of images of the bombed-out places. Yuta said that although it made them use their imaginations, the third-year student hoped the audience would research what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A second-year student from the school, Noa Yamanishi, was terrified at the bomb testing scene as she said, “That scene alone was terrifying enough for me.” She explained, “Today, we are living in a world with a countless number of nuclear weapons. It drove home the point that we should act immediately to prevent nuclear war.”
The bombings took place on the 6th and 9th of August 1945, and they killed countless lives, and people suffered the effects even after several years.
Christopher Nolan directed Oppenheimer, led by Cillian Murphy, is all set to release in Japan on March 29.
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