Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer under fire following Oscars success: ‘Mixed feelings’

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer. Photo / Universal Pictures

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer may have won seven of the 13 awards it was nominated for at the Oscars - including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor - but some film viewers are raising concerns about the topic of the movie.

Based on J. Robert Oppenheimer’s creation of the atomic bomb in 1945, the film has created “mixed feelings” for the country of Japan as its city of Hiroshima was targeted by said atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, days before the end of World War II.

Speaking to AFP following the movie’s big win, Kyoko Heya, president of the Japanese city’s international film festival, questioned: “Is this really a movie that people in Hiroshima can bear to watch?”

Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.

Calling the film “very America-centric”, the 69-year-old revealed the three-hour-long movie - which will screen in Japan for the first time on March 29 - initially “terrified” her, but said her opinion had since changed. “I now want many people to watch the movie, because I’d be happy to see Hiroshima, Nagasaki and atomic weapons become the subject of discussions thanks to this movie,” she said.

The bomb, which devastated the Japanese city, is estimated to have killed approximately 140,000 people and a further 74,000 casualties were incurred when a second bomb was dropped in Nagasaki shortly after.

Following the release of the film, Japan did not screen it in cinemas. While it was never confirmed with a statement, many speculated the reason for the lack of screenings was due to the film’s sensitive subject matter.

Heya also told the news outlet a group of high school students will view the film before its official release in the country, as will the residents of Nagasaki.

In response to the news, 22-year-old Hiroshima City University student Yu Sato told AFP she has “mixed feelings” about the decision, as she works with survivors of the bombing.

“I have mixed feelings, to be honest,” she said, adding, “Oppenheimer created the atomic bomb, which means he made this world a very scary place.”

“Even if he did not intend to kill many people, he cannot be seen as completely unaccountable.”