Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Atomic Cover-Up - HIFF 2021 Documentary Review



The Documentary: Atomic Cover-Up

The Director: Greg Mitchell

The Story: Long suppressed footage of the human suffering caused by the US nuclear bombing of two Japanese cities in August of 1945.


The Review:
In 1945 the United States dropped two atomic bombs on cities in Japan killing thousands upon thousands of innocent people effectively eliminating Japan as a threat during World Wart II even though word was the country was already defeated and prepared to surrender. Because of the massive damage and loss of life, the US government classified as much information as they possibly could be cause, you know, appearances are important.

This documentary reveals piles of footage that was eventually declassified, footage that shows the real cost and toll of dropping nuclear warheads on highly populated and thriving cities. Growing up, we always heard about the war and the fact that we won the war and we are all heroes because of it. Clearly, the government and the military didn't want us to see the reality of what occurred because the images are pretty devastating when you see the actual human cost of what occurred.

The story being told her is a pretty strong reality check not just because it shows what a horrible thing one country did to another but also the fact that the flow of information is still as skewed today as it was then. As much as we like to parade around the fact that we have freedom of speech and freedom of information her in America, it's really not true. Every bit of information we are given goes through the same type of filtering system that focuses on basically what amounts to flag waving propaganda. It's pretty amazing that this documentary was even allowed to see the light of day in the here and now so many years after the tragic events first took place.


The Verdict:
Atomic Cover-Up is a very interesting and informative look at the effects of the nuclear devastation on actual Japanese people from a ground level perspective. It's a reminder that no matter where we are in the world, we're all human beings. Human beings that don't deserve to be blown up during a war.


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