Movie of the Week: The Bomb

Alexa: Experimental cinema has never really been my jam, but that being said, I found “The Bomb” to be compelling filmmaking. I don’t know that saying I liked it is really accurate because it’s such an unsettling experience, but I think it succeeded in accomplishing exactly what it set out to achieve. Rather than being a straight documentary, “The Bomb” juxtaposes existing footage - from horrifying shots that illustrate the scale of nuclear blasts to old “duck and cover” tutorials - with animation, artwork and music by The Acid to convey the terrifying devastation of nuclear weapons. And in this case, I think the experimental approach is even more effective than a traditional examination would have been. Being exposed to those images continuously for an hour creates an immersive experience that is deeply uncomfortable and upsetting, and the accompanying music is both entrancing and foreboding. These weapons are designed to be massively destructive killing machines, and this film refuses to sugarcoat exactly what they’re capable of - both physically and psychologically, as the simple fact that they exist, the mere threat of them, generates an emotional terror of its own. That makes the pride and fascination that some people feel toward them all the more alarming. It’s crazy to me that some people still need to be reminded how incredibly inhumane these weapons are, and how unnecessary they should be. But in today’s tense and hostile political climate across the globe, “The Bomb” should probably be required viewing.

Joel: Just like documentaries about the food industry and healthy living, there are enough documentaries detailing the “secret” or “unexplored” dangers of nuclear weapons that it feels like it could be a genre all on its own. With the number of these documentaries growing, The Bomb figures out a way to stand out by presenting itself as something like the experimental film version of a documentary.

Removing traditional documentary ideas like talking heads interviews or narration, we get an hour of collected footage organized in a way that it tells the story of the development of nuclear weapons in reverse chronological order. It’s a bizarre way to explore the subject matter at hand, and you’re very aware of the unique method of storytelling as you’re watching the movie. But as the movie progressed, I came to realize how engrossing The Bomb was. It takes a while to get into it, but soon enough the footage, and the story being crafted through it was commanding my full attention. This isn’t simply a collection of archival footage relating to nuclear weapons. It’s clear that great care had gone into selecting not only the footage being used, but exactly what order it should go in and how it should be presented. The Bomb is able to invoke the exact feeling it’s going for in each scene, and the complete work that it’s crafted is one that boasts a powerful impact.

If I can make one complaint about the movie, it unfortunately ends up being the music that underscores much of the footage. I know that the music by The Acid was a critical part of the movie, likely one of the founding ideas behind the project in the first place. However, for whatever reason the score just didn’t work and felt out of place, often times drastically undercutting the intensity or mood of the movie. Unfortunately, because the music itself was intended to be such an integral part of the experience, it ended up detracting rather than adding to the overall film. Still, despite this minor blemish, The Bomb takes a big leap of faith, and managed to stick the landing with a memorable viewing experience.

Chris: If there was ever a month where it was obvious that I felt the need to take a risk with my movie pick, here it is. Is it a documentary? Is it an hour-long music video for The Acid? Maybe both. I liked some of The Acid’s music after it had been heavily featured in Sharp Objects so my desire to watch The Bomb came out of that. Everything about The Bomb is uncomfortable, the subject matter, the footage, the long drawn-out droning of the music and yet I was drawn into the movie. The Bomb is fascinatingly terrifying, bringing up how little has to go wrong for catastrophe on an absurdly large scale or how nuclear proliferation causes a stalemate between the nations that has the most of them while also being the proverbial police against countries trying to obtain their own nuclear capabilities. These select few countries (especially the United States) are almost like drug dealers ensuring nobody else enters their territory with their own product. However what I like about this experimental documentary, it looks beyond all the national pride chest-beating and the war games strategies and focuses on the most important fact about these bombs; they are meant to end life on a massive and apocalyptic way.

Jason: I thought we were going to save the scary movies for next month! The thought of nuclear weapons even existing is enough to make me ashamed of humans as a whole. This film shows exactly why. The only reason man invented a device like this is to end the lives of other people. I had such a visceral reaction to everything in this film, from the images of huge missile arrays being ceremoniously presented during parades to the poor animals being shoved into cages in the blast zone for “research purposes” made feel sick to my stomach. It doesn’t make sense to me that any country would need that kind of destructive power. There was a quote during the film that said that while these bombs can obliterate entire cities, it is first and foremost a weapon of psychological terror. It makes me sad that people think we need that kind of power in order to keep international peace.

Anyway, as for the technical aspects of the film: being more of a long-form music video rather than a documentary, the music is a vital part of the narrative. The swell and build of the songs matches well the building of tension. Not only that, but the use of silence is also really important to the soundtrack. It all came together to accentuate the gravity of the videos and images being presented. I definitely appreciated that.