NAGASAKI: IN THE SHADOW OF THE FLASH
Set in Nagasaki in the immediate aftermath of the atomic bombing, this moving drama follows three young nursing students. As their city is reduced to ruins, they struggle to care for the wounded and fulfill their duty despite youth and inexperience.
Unlike the idealized nurses often portrayed on screen, the three girls feel like ordinary teenagers: not enthusiastic martyrs but rather frightened, conflicted, and longing for their families. The film also confronts painful truths directly, from their anger toward the enemy to the devastation of Nagasaki’s Christian community. In doing so, it offers a clear-eyed and deeply human portrait of atomic horror.
Former nursing student Fujie Yamashita, whose experiences informed the original memoir, appears in a special role, while surviving hibakusha Akihiro Miwa narrates.
© 2025 ‘Nagasaki: In the Shadow of the Flash’ Production Committee