Children of Hiroshima | Telescope Film
Children of Hiroshima

Children of Hiroshima (原爆の子)

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  • Japan
  • 1952
  • · 97m

Director Kaneto Shindō
Cast Nobuko Otowa, Osamu Takizawa, Masao Shimizu, Jūkichi Uno, Akira Yamanouchi, Jun Tatara
Genre Drama, War

Schoolteacher Takako Ishikawa returns to her hometown of Hiroshima four years after the US dropped the atomic bomb. The film chronicles the city she finds upon visiting: an environment transformed by the aftermath of the blast and full of people still grappling with the bomb's effects and their new way of life.

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What are critics saying?

100

Time Out by David Fear

Shindô concocts a stylistic mix of odd experimental flourishes, female nudity, Soviet-style close-ups and baldly sentimental melodrama to emphasize the toll this disaster took; its cup may runneth over, yet the stark vibe is impossible to shake.

88

New York Post by V.A. Musetto

With Japan facing a new nuclear crisis, this beautifully composed and acted heart-wrencher -- couldn't be more timely.

80

The New York Times by A.O. Scott

Mr. Shindo's world is sad and inspiring in familiar ways, but what makes it so memorable is that it is also gorgeous and strange.

80

Village Voice by J. Hoberman

This is a movie of blunt juxtapositions-death accompanied by the sound of raucous street musicians-as well as awkward flashbacks. Still, the strategy works.