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The Psychological, Social And Physical Effects of Surviving The A-Bomb in Hiroshima...

  • Nov 1, 2010
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Rating:
+5
Back in 1989, two movies entitled “Black Rain” were released. One film was the insignificant Hollywood blockbuster starring Michael Douglas while the other was the art house Japanese film “Kuroi Ame” directed by the legendary Shohei Imamura. Movies that depicted the horrors of the effects of the Atomic bomb were often made by American producers, “Hiroshima and Nagasaki” was one such great film, but it isn’t often that we see films that portrayed Japanese views on the physical and psychological (even the cultural effects) of the nuclear attack after the war. Finally after 20 years, Animeigo brings the acclaimed film to U.S. shores in a legitimate dvd release.

This film had been endorsed by the Japanese ministry of education to be viewed by all Japanese citizens of all ages. It is also the winner of numerous international  film awards including Cannes.

The film sets his groundwork against Shizuma Shigematsu’s journals in 1945. Following the dropping of the atomic bomb, Shizuma (Kazuo Kitamura) and his wife Shigeko (Etsuko Ichihara) are charged with guardianship of their niece Yasuko (Yoshiko Tanaka) and in finding her a suitable husband despite the fact that she was a victim of the Black Rain that fell after the explosion of the atom bomb in Hiroshima. As the years progresses and the 1950’s have enveloped this small Japanese community, Shizuma slowly witnesses the demise of his friends (victims of the secondary exposure) due to the effects of delayed radiation sickness. Yasuko’s hopes of finding stability in love seems all but dashed, until she meets a WWII veteran named Yuichi (Keisuke Ishida) who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder brought upon by his experiences as an anti-tank soldier.

              

            

         

American would no doubt feel a slight degree of guilt despite when they were born or what they thought about the atom bomb detonation over Hiroshima and Nagasaki once they’ve seen this film by Imamura. The film has several sequences that have very unsettling imagery as the viewer is taken to hell on Earth. The images are very realistic and shot in black and white, the film has the look of a news reel that makes it more effective. We see bodies everywhere; as burnt bodies are carried by a river’s current, babies burnt while at the bosom of their mothers and other horrific imagery (the film reminded me of the time I went to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki exhibits in Japan when I was in high school). However, Imamura’s intentions to his writing and direction of this film is not to question the moral implications or to point an accusing finger as to who is to blame. Imamura wishes to bring the true effects of the war and the destruction brought on by the atom bomb is only a prelude to the struggles of this family who suffers physical, cultural and psychological complications due to that awful day.

The people in this small community are sympathetic of the survivors of the nuclear attack, but at the same time, the survivors are also mistrusted and shunned because of their condition. It was common knowledge that people exposed to radiation would eventually succumb to it; they cannot work as hard as others since such activity would quicken the poison’s progress and this can provoke resentment from other hard-working citizens. It was no secret that Shizumi and his wife suffered from radiation sickness, and Yasuko was exposed to the black rain (secondary exposure); and at 25, she has been shunned by her suitors’ families, for fear that she cannot bear her husband a child.

            

          

It seems like the state of the nation, and it is safe to assume that the condition of those who survived was much more challenging than those who haven’t been exposed. Seems like gossip can also play a part in ruining one’s reputation, and it attests to the matter of personal prerogative; whether one chooses to give in and merely accept their potential fate is up to the victim. I was impressed that this family seeks to find a footing, and to make do as they see fit. The victims of the war share a strange bond among themselves, it is one birthed of understanding, compassion and need.

Imamura declines from further moralizing and a small-minded ending, he leaves it to the viewer to decide what happens next. The film was shot in black and white since the imagery may just prove to be too unnerving if shot in color. The drama is portrayed as if it was shot in the 50’s which gives it an authentic feeling of its proceedings. It also gives a mild reference that those earlier films are pressured to conform with tradition while being pulled by more modern standards (there is some nudity in the film, but they aren’t suggestive)., as it brings into exposition the stigma, weight and the social ramifications of radiation sickness.

Shohei Imamura’s “Black Rain” is a sincere and powerful portrayal of the aftermath of the atom bomb. It brings into exposition the distrust, the fear and aversion of those who survived and yet were prosecuted by their neighbors and family for merely living their life after such an experience. It is good that Animeigo had finally brought this terrific film to the U.S. with a decent dvd release.

Highly Recommended! [4 ½ Out of 5 Stars]
　


　
　
　
　
　
　
4 ½ Stars: The Psychological, Social And Physical Effects of Surviving The A-Bomb in Hiroshima...

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November 03, 2010
But let's not forget the other side of this coin, the Atom bomb was a reaction to Japanese warmongerin, the Japanese were not Peace Loving innocents, at that time they were incredibly racist, aggressive and imperialistic people and their attitude to their emperor came straight from the middle ages, they really believed he was a God on earth and their duty was to serve him. And their attitude to war was to fight to the last man and many have commented, that though the Atom bomb was truly horrible it stoped the war earlier and in a paradoxical way saved more lives than it destroyed.
November 03, 2010
Good point. and this film shows how some Japanese people stick to those tradition (racist, aggressive and imperialistic) even after the a-bomb. The a-bomb changed their attitude after the war, but shortly after, some people still misunderstood the plight of their countrymen.
 
November 03, 2010
Politicians should watch this kind of movie more! :-)
November 03, 2010
Agreed. How have you been, Sharrie? You haven't been around much lately...have you moved?
November 03, 2010
End month. Busy traveling and shopping for new furniture :-)
 
November 02, 2010
Here I am! It just took me a little while to get over here today. Can't wait to see this but it's going to be one of those movies that I have to be in just the right mood for. Election day will probably put me in a pretty foul mood for a while which means I'll be needing comedies. Thanks for doing this one!
November 02, 2010
LOL! Hey, I am with you about Election Day--I don't like either Governatorial candidates and I am deciding who to vote for at the last minute. You will like this--I know depressing human drama is sometimes hard to take, but they are at their most briliant when depressing.
November 07, 2010
Our gubernatorial choices really sucked big time--but the democrat won. Even though he is as corrupt as any in Illinois history he's still better than the alternative.
 
November 01, 2010
Man I feel like I have seen this but I know I haven't, sounds like a great film WP. Wow man I need to get this.
November 01, 2010
you'd better. :) I reviewed this for Karen...where she at?
 
November 01, 2010
Ooh, this looks grim. I could go for this.
November 01, 2010
I do think you will like this a lot. This is bleak and truly inspirational in some ways.
November 01, 2010
I've been watching a lot of gloomy foreign films (Murnau, Berman, Herzog, etc.).
 
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About this movie

Wiki


Five years after the bombing of Hiroshima, Yasuko does not appear to be affected by the radiation, but her family worries about her marriage prospects, fearing that she might succumb to radiation sickness at any time.

Mr. and Mrs. Shizuma and their niece Yasuko make their way through the ruins of Hiroshima, devastated by the atomic bomb. Five years later, Yasuko is living with her aunt and uncle, and her senile grandmother, in a village containing many survivors of the bombing. Yasuko does not appear to be affected, but the Shizumas are worried about her marriage prospects, fearing that she might succumb to radiation sickness at any time.

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Tags

Movies, Asian Cinema, Foreign Films, Japanese Cinema, Japanese Movies
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Details

Director: Shohei Imamura
Genre: Drama, History, War
Release Date: 17 September 1989 (USA)
Screen Writer: Shohei Imamura, Masuji Ibuse
Runtime: 123 min
Studio: Animeigo
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