Original Child Bomb is a poetic pastiche that evokes the ghastly cost to humanity posed by nuclear weaponry. Taking us first to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this meditative film draws on a wealth of declassified film footage, drawings, and animation to depict the 1945 bombings from the perspective of the victims. It's chilling to see the annihilation of life and landscape while hearing the testimony of Japanese survivors. But director Schonegevel doesn't dwell on the past. The pop soundtrack and blingidy graphics place the clear and present danger at our feet. Alerting a younger generation, Original Child Bomb shows how global politics has rallied around “weapons of mass destruction”-different rhetoric, perhaps, but the same old arsenal. Desiring a thoughtful engagement, Schonegevel's vigorously felt film is finally a call to action.
Winner, Jury Prize, 2004 Silverdocs Festival.