The film we watched this week portrayed a tragedy, one of the most horrible and atrocious recorded acts of human violence. It is so important to discuss these issues, as emphasized by Arata Osada’s Children of the A‑Bomb. These direct accounts, primary source material of the event, really show how horribly the innocent were affected by war. It motivates people of today to understand the severity of hate and violence. We cannot be complacent about genocide, and we cannot belittle its effects. The writings and the film emphasize a push towards peace over war, something that we should all reflect on in this day and age. 

The way the actors’ bodies moved throughout the scene struck me the most, especially upon remembering that they were the victims themselves. There was a specific stiff walk with hollowed eyes that accurately portrayed the energy of war. I feel it in my bones, the empathetic physical reaction to such bodily horror. 

I believe that the film really successfully captured such a horrible circumstance with accuracy. This creates an uncomfortable, yet captivating watch. The filmmakers and writers of these efforts knew that this would allow future generations to continue the remembrance and demotivate war. 

The film was able to do something that is necessary for the future survival of humanity. That is no small task or accomplishment. In the 60s and the 90s, researchers interviewed children to ask what they thought the future looked like. (1966: Children imagine life in the year 2000 | BBC Archive) One consistency popped out to me, a comment by a 13-year-old who thought the world would end because of the atom bomb. This is a real fear and still is to this day. The devastating events that occurred need to be uncensored and become educational materials. Otherwise, we will have a nuclear war that absolutely no one will survive. 

Thats the famous saying, though, if we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.