Watch Children of Hiroshima

Children of Hiroshima is a 1952 Japanese film directed by Kaneto Shindō. The movie is centered around the life of a school teacher named Takako Ishikawa, played by Nobuko Otowa, who returns to her birthplace of Hiroshima after World War II. The movie begins with Takako boarding a train as she heads back to her hometown well aware that a dark past awaits her there. The director does an excellent job to portray the emotional distress that characters in the movie face.

Upon arriving in Hiroshima, Takako finds that many things have changed since she was last there. For one, the city has been completely destroyed by America's atomic bomb, and many people have died, including some of the students Takako taught. Their deaths haunt her to this day. She is dismayed by the terrible fate that has beenfallen her city, but more so by the loss of her students, all thanks to the negligence of the authorities.

Takako eventually takes up the offer of a teaching position at a local elementary school. Here she meets a former student, Rinichi, who she was expected to marry, but never did. Rinichi is now a teacher at the school, and Takako finds it difficult to face him, given her reservations from years ago. Takako then becomes closely acquainted with the students who she teaches. They become her support system and the movie develops into a story of hope and healing.

The movie does an excellent job in portraying the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima, highlighting the many difficulties faced by the locals. While it does not shy away from the tragedy of what happened, it is much more than just another movie about the atomic bomb. It focuses heavily on the importance of hope and healing, human connection, and forgiveness in the face of tragedy. The movie succeeds in showing a side of Hiroshima that is often overlooked, that of the children who survived the bomb and grew up with its aftermath.

One of the more profound aspects of the movie is the way the director uses various filming techniques to convey the gravity of the situation faced by the locals. He effectively employs silent montages of debris, and shots of post-war Japan, and the physical pain suffered by the people of Hiroshima. The quiet and unassuming manner in which the director frames the characters also serves to emphasize the often-contemplative nature of their lives.

The cinematography in Children of Hiroshima is remarkably stunning, featuring a lot of close-ups filled with heavy emotions, and many scenes filled with natural lighting. Set in the relaxing countryside, the scenes of the children's innocent play seem to stand in stark contrast to the tragic circumstances that the movie builds up to. This contrast makes their games of tag, juggling, and other games of childhood all the more heartbreaking.

In conclusion, Children of Hiroshima is a powerful movie that tells the story of the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima, providing an insight into the struggles faced by the locals, and focusing heavily on the themes of hope, reconciliation, and forgiveness. The director's portrayal of the emotional turmoil the characters face is breathtaking, and the movie successfully captures a time in Hiroshima's history that was full of tremendous grief and sorrow. This is a "must watch" for movie buffs interested in Japanese culture and history, particularly with regards to World War II.

Children of Hiroshima is a 1952 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 35 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.6 and a MetaScore of 86.