White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2007)
Farallon Films

Description

White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki, looks at the reality of nuclear warfare with first-hand accounts from those who survived and whose lives were forever changed by the atomic bomb.

Even after 60 years, those bombings continue to inspire argument, denial and myth. Surprisingly, most people know nothing or very little about what happened on August 6 and 9, 1945, two days that changed the world. This is a comprehensive, straightforward, moving account of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the point of view of the people who were there.

Tags

1940s, Nuclear weapons, Japan, Hiroshima, Nagasaki

Collected reviews and ratings

10 DVD Verdict | Joel Pearce

White Light, Black Rain exists as a harsh reminder of the constant, unwavering, unthinkable pain and suffering that these people have struggled with for the past 60 years. The most incredible thing about it, though, is that these extraordinary people have accepted this suffering—if, and only if that means that nobody else will ever need to go through the same thing.
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10 Amazon user reviews

This documentary truly shows you the destructive capability many countries have now amassed, and why we should never use it.
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9.0 DVD Talk | Randy Miller III

There's no doubt that White Light / Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a powerful documentary about one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century. Steven Okazaki's film is poised and potent, filled with painful details and gruesome images that may keep more sensitive viewers away, but it's recommended viewing for anyone interested in the subject.
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9.0 Salon.com | Andrew O'Hehir

Of course we know about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in August 1945 -- perhaps the defining event of the 20th century - but this humbling, shocking film reminds us that we don't really know enough.
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8.0 Variety | Dennis Harvey

Vet documentarian Steven Okazaki's "White Light/Black Rain" provides a concise, often powerfully unpleasant account of the atomic bomb drops on Japan that ended WWII. Extensive survivor interviews and some hard-to-watch archival footage make this an important document.
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8.0 Pixelsurgeon | Cynthia Fuchs

White Light/Black Rain's argument is at once simple and infinitely complex. Whatever courage emerged in the face of such devastation, however admirable the survivors surely are, the bombs were disasters, man-made and calculated. And that’s the tragedy, at last, that any nation or group of individuals would be able to conjure and commit such brutality, for whatever reason.
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7.0 UpcomingDiscs.com | Tom Buller

White Light/Black Rain is a must-see documentary, but be warned: a lot of the imagery is not for the squeamish, and definitely not appropriate for young audiences.
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