[CHILDREN OF HIROSHIMA screens Friday August 5th at 7:15 pm and Saturday August 6th at 5:00 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]
Review by Bob Ignizio
Does the end justify the means? In the case of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, there are compelling arguments both for and against that notion. What cannot be disputed is the horror and devastation the attack unleashed. Tens of thousands of people died instantly, and the effects of the attack continued to take a toll for years to come.
Director Kaneto Shindรด's CHILDREN OF HIROSHIMA takes an unblinking look at those lingering effects 6 years after the bombing through the eyes of school teacher Takako Ishikawa (Nobuko Otowa). She survived the bombing, although her parents and sister did not. Now Takako lives on an island with her Aunt and Uncle, and seems to be getting on with her new life quite well. For her vacation, Takako decides to return home to visit friends and see the graves of her family members.
