The Academy Award-winningOppenheimerhas nowpremiered in theaters in Japaneight months after it was released in the United States. The biopic, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Cillian Murphy as the theoretical physicist and “father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer,tackles controversial topics, with some theaters reportedly (viaReuters) posting warning signs regarding the movie and its depiction of the nuclear tests and the aftermath of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Since showing in Japan, the response toOppenheimerhas been mixed, with many feeling that the moviedoes not pay enough attentionto the devastation and death that was caused by the use of the bombs. The former Hiroshima Mayor Takashi Hiraoka has said that the “horror” was “not sufficiently depicted.”
“From Hiroshima’s standpoint, the horror of nuclear weapons was not sufficiently depicted. The film was made in a way to validate the conclusion that the atomic bomb was used to save the lives of Americans.”
Toshiyuki Mimaki, who survived the bombing of Hiroshima when they were three years old, was also disappointed that the movie did not properly depict the bombing itself.
“During the whole movie, I was waiting and waiting for the Hiroshima bombing scene to come on, but it never did.”
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Like many Christopher Nolan films, there is more than meets the eye, especially in his most recent Oscar winner, Oppenheimer.
Another audience member, Kawai, also sawOppenheimerwhen it opened in Japan, and while they felt the moviedeserved its Academy Award wins, they too questioned the depiction of the bombings.
“This is an amazing film which deserves to win the Academy Awards. But the film also depicts the atomic bomb in a way that seems to praise it, and as a person with roots in Hiroshima, I found it difficult to watch.”
A resident of Nagasaki, Koichi Takeshita, who was also in attendance atOppenheimer’sdebut, who seemed to find much depth in Nolan’s approach.
“The last look of Oppenheimer in the film was that of pain. It was a look of either regret, because he was the person who made the A-bomb, or he didn’t know what to do and was sad, as tens of thousands of people died.”
Christopher Nolan Has Explained Why Oppenheimer Does Not Show the Bombings
Oppenheimer
These criticisms have been leveled atOppenheimerbefore, with Japanese filmmaker andGodzilla Minus Onedirector Takashi Yamazaki having said previously that he wants to make a movie as an “answer or response” to Christopher Nolan’s biopic.
“I feel that as a filmmaker and director, I do want to provide some kind of answer or response to Oppenheimer someday. I don’t think Godzilla is necessarily a direct response to it, although they point at similar themes. But even if this film is never realized, I think having it in the corner of my head as a strong thematic element is important.”
Nolan himself has also since respondedto these criticisms, noting that his intention was always to tell the story specifically fromOppenheimer’sisolated perspective.
“To depart from [his experience] would betray the terms of the storytelling. He learned about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the radio — the same as the rest of the world.”
Written, directed, and produced by Christopher Nolan,Oppenheimerstars Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh. The movie has been a box office, critical, and awards success,winning the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and more.
