Oppenheimer finally made its way to the Japanese theatres on Friday, March 29, 2024, nearly nine months after running in cinemas globally.
The Oscar-winning movie, which is based on the biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer received mixed reactions from the Japanese audience as it recalled the devastating impact of nuclear weapons, felt 79 years ago.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, expressed his long-standing fascination with J. Robert Oppenheimer's story, known as "the father of the atomic bomb."
During a telephonic interview with The Associated Press, Mimaki reflected on the motives behind Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, noting, “What were the Japanese thinking, carrying out the attack on Pearl Harbor, starting a war they could never hope to win.”
Mimaki, who is now the chairperson of Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organization added, “During the whole movie, I was waiting and waiting for the Hiroshima bombing scene to come on, but it never did.”
In addition to this, the former mayor of Hiroshima, Takashi Hiraoka, expressed his views on Christopher Nolan’s directorial film, noting, “From Hiroshima’s standpoint, the horror of nuclear weapons was not sufficiently depicted.”
He added, “The film was made in a way to validate the conclusion that the atomic bomb was used to save the lives of Americans.”
Moreover, the director of Godzilla Minus One, Takashi Yamazaki, hinted he might give a Japanese answer of Oppenheimer through a film, which depicts the tale of the deadly nuclear catastrophe, which affected the nation 79 years ago.
“I feel there needs to an answer from Japan to ‘Oppenheimer.’ Someday, I would like to make that movie,” he said, while expressing his desire during an online discussion with Nolan.
It is pertinent to note, Oppenheimer, which is created from the nuclear scientist’s perspective, mainly revolves around his life, it does not depict the impact of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima back then.
Cillian Murphy portrayed the character of J. Robert Oppenheimer and won his first ever Oscar for the film.
