All That Remains (2016) Reviews

• Cinema in its purest form of artistic expression

  jimboick2016-08-19

  A visually stunning mix of live action, CG and archive footage, this film tells a powerful story of one man's search for God in the face of total desolation as he struggles to find meaning in the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Japan. Leo Ashizawa plays Dr. Nagai, a man who believes that science has all the answers to the mysteries of the universe, until he has a kind of epiphany while attending a mass on Christmas Eve night. The first hour of the film concentrates on Nagai's spiritual awakening and the relationship with his wife. All this, of course, serves to make the inevitable bombing sequence even more devastating, when he loses everything he has worked for. The atomic bomb sequence is extremely well done, and has the disturbing quality of a nightmare. There is a particularly poignant scene where Nagai, two days after the bombing, returns to where is home once stood and finds only his wife's melted crucifix among the rubble. The performances are top notch and the film delivers an emotional message in a captivating way. This is cinema in its purest form of artistic expression.