Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard

Anne Prescott reviews Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard, directed by Bryan Reichhardt (2013, 85 minutes)

The film Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard chronicles the remarkable story of an American Christian minister who was inspired to preach about nuclear destruction, the reaction to that sermon that prompted a gift from American youngsters to school children in Hiroshima, and the stunning drawings that those children sent to the Americans as a token of their thanks. The film weaves together interviews with Hiroshima hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors), historical photos, and video footage to tell the story of the connection between All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington, D.C. and the students from Honkawa Elementary School in Hiroshima.

The story—and the film—begin in November 1946 when A. Powell Davies, minister of All Souls Unitarian Church, read an article in the Washington Post celebrating the atomic bomb task force. The article was accompanied by a photo of an angel food cake in the shape of an atomic bomb mushroom cloud, which was being proudly cut by the celebrants. Davies was incensed by the nonchalance with which the dropping of the atomic bomb was being treated, and a few days later he preached an Armistice Day sermon titled “Lest the Living Forget.”

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