BBBB
(out of 5)
Original title: Kuroi Ame
Arresting and unforgettable exploration of the devastation of Hiroshima, as young Yukiko comes to stay with her relatives a few years after they survived the dropping of the bomb. In the aftermath of nuclear war, villagers create marriage prospects for their younger generations with the constant worry that they might be suffering radiation sickness. Yukiko is one such case who is possibly ill, which would mean bad news for her chances at marrying. Between scenes of paranoia and gossip are interspersed fascinating, beautifully achieved flashback sequences that capture the bombing and subsequent survival. This is not the experimental poetry of Hiroshima, Mon Amour, as director Shohei Imamura is perfectly incapable, as usual, of pulling punches on anything he considers a fact of human existence (here, violence and illness, elsewhere sexuality, etc).
Hayashibara Group, Imamura Productions, Tohokushinsha Film Corporation
Directed by Shohei Imamura
Screenplay by Shohei Imamura, Toshiro Ishido, based on the novel by Masuji Ibuse
Cinematography by Takashi Kawamata
Produced by Hisashi Iino
Music by Toru Takemitsu
Production Design by Hisao Inagaki
Costume Design by Hidefumi Sueyoshi
Film Editing by Hajime Okayasu
