Black Rain
Director: Shohei Imamura
Year Released: 1989
Rating: 3.0
Several years after the bombing of Hiroshima, a woman exposed to 'black rain' (but not the flash of the bomb) has difficulty finding a husband because potential suitors' families feel she is ill despite the noble efforts of her Uncle to prove she's quite healthy. For Imamura, it's a surprisingly straightforward picture, which is both an asset (considering the dark subject matter) and something of a detriment, as he's more restrained than usual (no real flights-of-fancy here) in his morose, brooding approach. The flashbacks to the aftermath of the bombing are few but harrowing, while the events that take place years after are more placid but quietly devastating. The young man's final ride that concludes the picture basically spells death for her, and the announcement on the radio of Truman threatening to bomb Korea has the Uncle dejected and depressed: may that never have to happen again.
