Film “Barefoot Gen’s Hiroshima” released: Hiroshima’s memory overlapped with nuclear disaster

I had been less interested in films about the atomic bomb. Recently, I am interested in them again probably because the nuclear disaster in Fukushima overlaps with the bomb. “Barefoot Gen’s Hiroshima”, directed by ISHIDA Yuko, is a documentary film with a motif of a cartoon “Barefoot Gen” drawn by NAKAZAWA Keiji, which depicts his experience as a survivor of the atomic bomb dropped on the city when he was six. I had not seen any of animated or live-action films of the cartoon at all, or even read the original cartoon until I saw the film. However, I was fascinated with the narrative of Mr. Nakazawa about his experience of the bombing in this film. Then, I read the original cartoon and watched the animated and live-action films, and saw “Barefoot Gen’s Hiroshima” again. Then, I found the story of “Gen” represent Mr. Nakazawa’s experience even in the form of a fiction. Still, his own narrative was more realistic and moving. (KINOSHITA Masaaki) * Official website * The film has been released in Tokyo since August 6, 2011.

映画「はだしのゲンが見たヒロシマ」公開～原発事故に重なる広島の記憶

　原爆映画は遠い昔のことだと関心も薄らいでいた。それが再び気になりはじめたのは、原発事故が原爆と重なって見えてきたせいだろうか。石田優子監督「はだしのゲンが見たヒロシマ」は、漫画『はだしのゲン』の作者、中沢啓治が6歳のとき被爆した体験を柱に生い立ちを語ったドキュメンタリーである。『はだしのゲン』は、これまで劇映画やアニメ化などでよく知られていたが、筆者はそれらを含め原作も読んだことがなかった。しかしこの映画で、自らの被爆を語る中沢の実感のこもった語り口に魅せられてしまった。そこで原作や劇映画、アニメを見たあとで再びこの映画を見た。これによって中沢の分身ともいうべき『ゲン』のドラマが、フィクションながらも中沢の体験そのものだとわかった。それでもなお、中沢自身による体験談のほうがずっとリアルで胸に迫ってきた。（木下昌明）・公式サイト　＊映画は8/6より都内で公開