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Viewers are calling out Oppenhemier for having a lack of Japanese perspective in the film.
Christopher Nolan’s new movie centers around American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who has been dubbed the ‘father of the atomic bomb’.
Oppenheimer was known for organizing the Manhattan Project, which was the research and development undertaking that created the first nuclear weapons, leading many to believe he was to blame for the tragic events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
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The film, released last week, is already off to a flying start, generating more than $174.1 million at the box office to rave reviews.
However, many have pointed out the lack of Japanese perspective in the biographical thriller.
One person penned to Twitter: “OPPENHEIMER is a movie about white people doing something awful because they’re emotionally and physically removed from the people they are hurting. That's what the movie is addressing and that’s all it has space to do within its runtime.”
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Another user said in response: "Just saw OPPENHEIMER, an in-depth character exploration of the people who built the atomic bomb, a weapon of mass destruction that killed a quarter million Japanese civilians. Film is 3 hours long and features zero Japanese people."
A third added: "I understand and respect the perspective Oppenheimer portrays. I don't understand why we need another white mans guilt movie rather than more awareness and education on how ww2 negatively impacted Japanese, hispanic, and Native Americans."
However, other viewers have stepped in to explain that this 'absence' in the film is the whole point.
One piped up on Twitter, saying: “The absence of the Japanese perspective in the movie is part of what drives the entire point home; Hiroshima and Nagasaki only exist in these men’s distant imaginations, devoid of material reality, like faraway planets. It’s so unsettling.”
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As per Esquire, Nolan has addressed its controversy, noting that his film was full of ‘paradoxes and ethical dilemmas’.
“I am drawn to stories about people who are presented in paradoxes, individuals who make decisions that are hard to understand, perhaps because they don’t fully comprehend themselves. Oppenheimer is the most extreme example of this,” he told the outlet.
According to Variety, Japan has yet to completely ban Oppenheimer from theaters, but there is no official release date for the movie in the country.
A Universal spokesperson told the outlet in June that ‘plans have not been finalized in all markets.’
Topics: News, Film and TV, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan
