“Fukushima 50” is a Japanese disaster drama film released in 2020, also known as "Fukushima 50", directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu and starring actors Koichi Sato, Ken Watanabe, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Takumi Saito, and Riho Yoshioka, the story is adapted from the documentary literature of the real events of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, about the strongest 9.0 earthquake in the history of the country that occurred in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, and the subsequent tsunami that mercilessly Although the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was evacuated, 50 unsung heroes decided to stay in the plant and try to cool the reactor to stop the devastating disaster.
These are the people who sacrificed their lives for their country
The impact of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake on Japan is difficult to estimate, from the earthquake shock without warning, the tsunami that caused heavy casualties and property damage, to the subsequent radiation leak from the nuclear power plant, this catastrophic event has naturally become the subject of many film creations, whether it is Makoto Shinkai's animation "Your Name", or the recent relatively literary "It Feels So Good", "Beneath the Shadow" and other works have pointed directly to The first film in Japan to directly depict the Fukushima nuclear disaster, "Fukushima 50", is also the same.
Is "Fukushima 50" good?
Since childhood, we have seen many "Fukushima 50" type of disaster movie, although each film like "Sea Fever", "Tunnelen", and "Skyscraper" have different themes and scenes, these works also have a very obvious common point, that is, the root cause of the incident is mostly from the high level of technological development, technology is increasingly advanced, people do not have the natural environment and other things that can not be fully controlled Instead of respecting and revering things that cannot be fully controlled, people are arrogant enough to think that man can win and relax the original caution.
The story of "Fukushima 50" focuses on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was considered to be the new hope for contemporary energy when it was built, but due to the loss of control of its units by the tsunami triggered by the 311 earthquake, half of Japan, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, maybe enveloped by radiation leakage. The story is told from the perspectives of several operators and leaders at the plant, describing in detail the evolution of the incident, the reactions of the people who saw the situation, and the way to deal with it.
The horrific disaster of “Fukushima 50”
Director SetsuroWakamatsu, who directed "The Unsinkable Sun" about the 1985 Japan Airlines Flight 123 crash in 2009 and won the Japan Film Academy Award for Best Picture the following year, has adapted "Fukushima 50" from the same Japanese disaster, not only bringing out every important point in the aftermath of the earthquake but also taking Japan's response to such a serious accident as the main theme of the story. The actor Ken Watanabe, who played the lead role in "The Unsinkable Sun", was recruited to play the most crucial role of the director in "Fukushima 50", adding a lot of discussion to the film through his responsibility to the many employees at the nuclear power plant underneath him and his attitude towards the chief of TEPCO and the Prime Minister of Japan.
As a fan of historical subjects and films based on real events, I enjoyed the complete presentation of the causes and consequences of the events in "Fukushima 50", whether it was the earthquake that triggered a huge tsunami that exceeded expectations, the attempts to restore the lost power, the exhaust to reduce the pressure inside the barrier, the injection of seawater to cool the furnace to stop the core from melting, or the multiple hydrogens The film is made even more exciting and complex by watching the interactions between the director, who is responsible for making decisions, giving orders, and communicating with his superiors, as well as by watching his interactions with others.
The core of the plot of “Fukushima 50”
Some of the scenes in "Fukushima 50" remind me of the cabinet members who always argue in "Shin Godzilla". In the film, the barrier is facing the crisis of explosion, but the rescue mission is forced to stop because the prime minister came to visit temporarily; the director proposes a way to lower the temperature of the furnace, but the result is questioned by other non-professional government officials. In the end, the core of all disaster movies is still on people, just like the director and his superiors, perhaps more than depicting the development and evolution of the entire disaster after the earthquake, taking us through the "Fukushima nuclear disaster", a major incident that instantly became the focus of global attention, people "The film "Fukushima 50" has the greatest value.
