Teruko Yahata, a World War Two Hiroshima atomic bombing survivor, speaks about her story of the horrors of Hiroshima to foreign visitors at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima
| Photo Credit: STAFF
Half a world away from Hollywood, citizens in Hiroshima, Japan, reacted to the Best Picture win for Oppenheimer – the blockbuster that depicted the race to develop the atom bomb that devastated their city 78 years ago.
The biopic about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer took in seven Oscars at the 96th Academy Awards after grossing $954 million worldwide. But the film has yet to screen in Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear bombing, with U.S. strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of World War Two.
“I myself would definitely like to watch this movie,” said Yasuhiro Akiyama, a 43-year-old teacher. “I hope more people around the world who have seen the movie would want to visit Hiroshima and come to the Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome,” he added.
Oppenheimer will finally open in Japan on March 29, about eight months after its debut. The opening last summer came just weeks before memorials of the blasts that claimed more than 200,000 lives.
Controversies over the film’s content, which some criticized as glossing over the human toll of the bombings, and marketing cast doubt on whether the film would get shown in Japan.
Many Japanese were offended by the fan-created “Barbenheimer” phenomenon that linked Greta Gerwig’s Barbie to Nolan’s film.
Teruko Yahata, a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing said she was eager watch Oppenheimer and hoped it would reinvigorate debate over nuclear weapons. The sentiment seemed echoed by several Hiroshima residents interviewed after the film reaped Oscar gold.
“I think it’s important to have a peaceful world where people no longer fight each other, so I hope this movie will give everyone an opportunity to learn about peace,” said Miyuki Hirano, a 44-year-old nurse.
Yoshito Ihara said he doubted nuclear-armed nations would ever let go of the weapons, but he hoped the movie could educate individuals and motivate them to press for change.
“I have not seen the movie, but I think it’s a chance for ordinary Japanese people to learn (about the bombing),” said Iwata, a 63-year-old real estate agent. “I think it is an issue every single person in the world must continue to fight against.”
The film swept the Oscars, winning in seven of the thirteen categories it was nominated in including: Best Cinematography (Hoyte van Hoytema), Best Film Editing (Jennifer Lame). Best Original Score (Ludwig Goransson), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr), Best Director (Christopher Nolan), Best Actor (Cillian Murphy in the eponymous role), as well as the coveted grand prize, Best Picture.
Meanwhile, Japan’s very own Godzilla: Minus One took mad history at the Oscars, winning the beloved kaiju its first golden statuette in its 70-year existence. Takashi Yamazaki’s TOHO produced blockbuster ousted the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and The Creator to take home the award for Best Visual Effects at the ceremony.
