A new film honors the heroic actions of Red Cross nurses during the Nagasaki atomic bombing. Director Jumpei Matsumoto, a third-generation atomic bomb survivor, created the film “Nagasaki: In the Shadow of the Flash.”
The movie tells the story of three nursing students who return home to Nagasaki in 1945. The U.S. drops the “Fat Man” atomic bomb on August 9, shattering their peaceful days. After the explosion, the nurses work under dire conditions. With few supplies and limited help, they care for countless wounded victims. Though they save lives, they witness many deaths they cannot prevent.
Around 74,000 people died from the blast by the end of 1945. Many survivors suffered from long-term radiation illnesses. Red Cross nurses served quietly but courageously. Matsumoto’s film seeks to finally give them a voice.
He based the film on firsthand accounts compiled by the Japanese Red Cross in 1980. One surviving nurse, 95-year-old Fujie Yamashita, appears in a short scene. Yamashita began training at age 15 in Osaka. She returned home before the bombing and later treated the injured at temporary relief stations.
In her writings, she pleaded for the world to never allow such suffering again. Michiko Suzuki, a Tokyo University researcher, praised the film’s focus. She said Red Cross nurses often stayed behind the scenes to act professionally. Yet, their humanitarian efforts were vital, even before the bombing.
Matsumoto also explores Nagasaki’s Catholic roots. He includes a character, Misao, who reflects selflessness and spiritual faith. Nearly 10,000 local Catholics were killed in the blast, including two priests at Urakami Cathedral.
Matsumoto plans to release the film abroad. He hopes it will inspire viewers to learn more about Nagasaki’s tragic history. “Nagasaki: In the Shadow of the Flash” is now showing locally and opens across Japan on August 1.
