When the Japanese refer to "the war," they mean World War II. When they talk about "the bomb," they mean the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. The event is so familiar, the contours of its tragedy are painfully etched into our collective memory.
On the other hand, the nearly seven decades that have lapsed between then and now have laid the groundwork for a new crop of war stories. "Things Left Behind" is just such a story. A documentary by American filmmaker Linda Hoaglund ("Anpo"), this is a collaborative work with one of Japan's most notable photographers, Miyako Ishiuchi.
The pair had no prior connection, but Hoaglund was struck by the fragile, poetic nature of Ishiuchi's 2008 photo collection, boldly titled "Hiroshima," and shown in four Japanese cities before taking off to Vancouver. Since then, the collection has gained some notoriety and what was once an exhibition has now become a movie.