Survivors
“For years I didn't talk about the bombing, even to my son.... But then I realized, if I don't speak up now and if I die, nobody will ever know.” Florence was 13 at the time of the Hiroshima bombing, one of thousands of Japanese Americans trapped in Japan during the war. 37 years later, Florence gives her account of what she saw and felt that day--and how it has affected her life since--in Steven Okazaki's new documentary, Survivors. Survivors is a remarkable tale of a quiet fight for justice by survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs, including interviews with some 30 Japanese Americans--mostly women--who have either returned or immigrated to the U.S. Here they continue to face a range of problems from the physical (radiation-related ailments) to the psychological (recurring nightmares and the very real fear of having children) to the social (community ostracizing, and the fight for government medical insurance coverage). Okasaki's approach is straightforward and unsentimental; his effect is powerful. Survivors is the first English-language film in which Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims speak for themselves about their fear and trauma. Their stories are augmented by newsreel footage and interviews with professionals in the medical and legislative fields. The result is an eloquent documentary that serves a dual purpose: As an exposé of the political struggles of these survivors, it is an important piece of journalism; as a depiction of the aftermath of nuclear war, it could hardly be more timely.