"Oppenheimer" is shining at the Oscars, but in Hiroshima, devastated by the first nuclear bomb in 1945, a movie about the weapon's creator is raising serious concerns. Kyoko Heya, president of the city's international film festival, has expressed doubts about whether locals can handle seeing the movie after it won seven Academy Awards, including best picture.
Although Christopher Nolan's film proved to be a huge success around the world last summer, it was not shown in Japanese theaters. There has been no official announcement of the reasons, prompting speculation about the sensitivity of the subject matter presented in the movie. Nearly 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki from atomic bombs dropped by the United States days before the end of World War II.
"Oppenheimer" will finally be released in Japan on March 29, but Hei organized a special screening for high school students on Tuesday. The woman expressed her impressions of the movie, deeming it too America-centered. She admitted she was "terribly frightened" at the prospect of showing it in Hiroshima.
