Take home message

The main focus of ‘Black Rain’ is not the immediate effects of the bombing in Hiroshima but rather the long-term ones. Through Yasuko and those around her, Imamura the director, portraits how the hibakushas (atomic bomb survivors) have to suffer not only with physical and psychological sufferings after the war, but they also have to go through the agony of being discriminated by no other than their own Japanese society. In other words, the survivors are now the victims of social mistreatments. Just as mentioned in James Goodwin’s ‘Akira Kurosawa and the Atomic Age’, this social stigma is caused by the marginalization of hibakushas who are viewed as inferiors to the non-victims. What is worse, most of the hibakushas themselves accept this caste division as if it is destiny.

In this scene Shizuma and his two friends are being regarded as lazy for not doing any work by the widow in the village despite the fact that she is aware of their health conditions. She shows no sympathy for them and even makes remarks such as they are lucky for having experienced the bombing. In the English translation the widow calls them ‘happy-go-lucky people’ which regards as easy-going or carefree people so it does not sound like she is attacking them. However, in Japanese she actully uses the world ‘kekko na gomibun’ which within its easy-going context, there’s a meaning of being inferior and condemnation attached to it so in a way she is really looking down on them.

Throughout the film Yasuko is being disregarded as a proper partner because she is rained on by the black rain. Villagers make rumors about her health condition which results in failures of many of her marriage proposals. Yasuko is victimized by a superstitious society where suspicion and fear influence the people’s attitude towards her. However, Yasuko herself understands the villagers’ behaviors towards her and eventually accepts this caste division. She begins warning them of her potential condition and goes as far as talking them out of marrying her.  Inescapably Yasuko is made to become flawed even though she may not be. As a consequence, she constantly apologizes as if it is all her fault.

To sum it up, the ‘Black Rain’ illustrates the damages of the nuclear weapons which go beyond physical effects. They have the power to tear apart any society, the evident was what happened to the Japanese society which was once interdependent and all about personal relationship.

By: Pim, Ai