Technically,
Akiko Takakura and the rest of Hiroshima were warned to leave the city, but
they would not have been allowed to act on the leaflets dropped by American
planes, even if they believed them. Nevertheless, somehow Takakura survived to
this day, despite her close proximity to the blast. Filmmakers Andre Hörmann
& Anna Samo give her an opportunity to tell her story in the animated short
documentary, Obon (trailer here), which screens as
part of the Animation Spotlight shorts
program at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, in Park City.
Takakura
is a survivor in the strictest sense, but it is clear from the nightmare
sequence that opens the film just how profoundly she has been affected by the
Hiroshima bombing. Yet, her memories of that day, particularly the tragic death
of her friend and co-worker Satomi Usami (who is obviously joyously full of
life seconds before “Little Boy” was dropped) are even more horrifying.
However, Obon is also beautifully
life-affirming when it depicts the sudden outpouring of affection from her
formerly stern father during the immediate aftermath of the bombing.
Obon is an absolutely beautiful
film, both in terms of its visuals and the emotions it stirs up. Inspired by
traditional Japanese woodcuts, Samo’s animation perfectly matches the
92-year-old Takakura’s oral history. In fact, Obon would be a fitting short to precede a screening of Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies, but despite its
elegiac tone, Hörmann & Samo’s film is not a downer—quite the contrary.
This
film is welcome proof that even nonfiction documentaries can be a work of art.
Both documentarians and animators should watch Obon, because it will encourage them to raise their games. Very highly
recommended, Obon screens again
tonight (1/27), tomorrow (1/28), and Thursday (1/31) in Park City, as part of
the Animation Spotlight short film
block at this year’s Sundance.