Oppenheimer has reopened bomb debate in US; in Japan, it’s more complex

Cillian Murphy in a scene from Oppenheimer. (Image: Universal Pictures/AP)

Sun, 30 Jul 2023

By Gearoid ReidyWhat can we learn from a country’s choice of when – or whether – to screen World War II drama Oppenheimer? Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic was released in the US just after the anniversary of the Trinity test, the culmination of the Manhattan Project on July 16, 1945, that paved the way for the postwar Pax Americana. In South Korea, it will hit screens on National Liberation Day, which marks Tokyo’s Aug 15 surrender in World War II – something the bomb is credited with. And in Japa...

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