Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is widely regarded as a masterpiece, but one of the few common criticisms aimed at the Oscar-winner is that it doesn't depict the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While there are compelling arguments for and against the inclusion of what happened in August 1945, the director's decision to omit the bombings in favor of keeping the film largely grounded in J. Robert Oppenheimer's subjective point of view makes narrative and tonal sense. For curious viewers, however, the 2007 documentary White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki provides a detailed and sobering glimpse into what took place during and after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki, White Light/Black Rain features firsthand accounts from multiple people who survived the bombings, as well as interviews with American airmen and scientists who were involved with the world-changing military operation. Interspersed with interviews is graphic, harrowing archival footage and photos of the horrifying devastation wrought by the initial blasts and subsequent fallout, contextualizing the tragic consequences wrought by Oppenheimer's creation. While Okazaki's documentary is undeniably heart-wrenching and difficult to watch, its contribution to preserving firsthand testimony regarding a pivotal moment in human history is invaluable.

'White Light/Black Rain' Humanizes the Atomic Bombings of Japan

The casualties resulting from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been estimated at 135,000 and 64,000, respectively, though the exact figures will never be known, and these estimates don't include many victims who perished months or years later due to injuries, illness, and psychological trauma. Such staggering figures boggle the mind, leading to individual accounts of suffering and loss often being overwhelmed and obscured by that of the masses. But through its numerous interviewees, White Light/Black Rain puts a face to the human suffering inflicted by the atomic bombing of Japan.

Having amassed dozens of interviews for his documentary, director Steven Okazaki narrows the pool down to a handful of survivors from different age demographics and walks of life, and no two survivors' experiences are exactly alike. From a military doctor and a university student to orphans and Korean immigrants, White Light/Black Rain captures a wide range of firsthand accounts, humanizing a collectively traumatic event through subjective testimony. And when it comes to the impact of the atomic bombings, Okazaki's documentary goes far beyond the immediate devastation via physical and psychological trauma, shedding sobering light on the lasting effects the tragedy had on those who survived.

'White Light/Black Rain' Explores the Long-Term Impacts of the Atomic Bombing

While more than 200,000 people were killed by the atomic bombings and their immediate aftermath, tens of thousands more died due to the deadly long-term effects of radiation, a fact that has often been overlooked or diminished. "People leave out the horror of all those radiation deaths where people were completely healthy and then all of a sudden they were dead," Steven Okazaki told The Huffington Post. From physical abnormalities and cancer to reproductive health issues and birth defects, the fallout of the atomic bombing has continued for decades, making lifelong medical patients out of survivors.

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Aside from the physical agony inflicted on so many survivors, the atomic bombings have taken a major psychological and emotional toll on the Japanese, with many carrying a certain level of societal stigma resulting from their experiences. In Japanese culture, survivors are referred to by the group designation "Hibakusha," and according to Steven Okazaki, it's not uncommon for these individuals to face ostracism and discrimination from their fellow citizens. "There was a tremendous amount of prejudice then and it's still very alive and I've seen it myself," he said. "I think people have a lot of discomfort with the subject, with terrible physical injuries or emotional strains." Thanks to Okazaki's persistence and dedication to survivors, however, White Light/Black Rain offers an always compelling glimpse into the ongoing hardships endured by so many, but bringing their stories to the screen took years of work.

'White Light/Black Rain' Was Decades in the Making

Steven Okazaki first became interested in making a documentary about the atomic bombings in 1980. Through his sister, he caught wind of an organization dedicated to survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaka, and was asked to make a film about their experiences. Intrigued by the opportunity, Okazaki produced Survivors, a 10-minute film that was his first foray into documentaries and chronicled the story of a Japanese-American woman with thyroid cancer. While Survivors was well-received among audiences, Okazaki felt he needed more experience as a filmmaker to do the topic justice. "It was mostly me," he acknowledged, "I didn't have the skills, the emotional maturity to do the film, and I was kind of intimidated by the subject and the politeness and niceness of the subject."

Returning to the subject decades later with White Light/Black Rain, Okazaki took a more probing and intimate approach to the subject, challenging his interviewees in favor of capturing authenticity despite how painful the process may be. Over the course of years, he continued meeting with survivors and connected with numerous people who were unafraid to tell their stories despite the discomfort inherent to discussing such experiences. Fortunately, Okazaki's more direct approach to documenting firsthand accounts of the atomic bombings succeeds admirably in delivering audiences an unvarnished, reverential glimpse into one of the darkest chapters in human history, elevating voices that had largely become relegated to obscurity.

Despite its sensitive nature, White Light/Black Rain proved cathartic for many Japanese viewers upon its 2007 debut. "We had special screenings in Japan a couple of months ago and the reaction was great," Okazaki said. "Several of the survivors came out smiling. We did some screenings in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki and those went incredibly well."

White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki DocumentaryHistory

This powerful documentary chronicles the devastating impact of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through the personal stories of survivors. Combining historical footage with moving interviews, the film provides a sobering account of the human cost of nuclear warfare.

Release Date August 6, 2007 Director Steven Okazaki Cast Harold Agnew , Shuntaro Hida , Kiyoko Imori , Morris Jeppson , Lawrence Johnston Runtime 86 Minutes Writers Steven Okazaki

White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Nagasaki is available to watch on Max in the U.S.

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