Downwind (I) (2023)
4/10
Could have been made a lot better - lacks focus
30 September 2023
I heard about this doc because I follow Matthew Modine on Social media. Apparently he is a Social Media "influencer" for this feature documentary that attempts to look at the fallout from more than 900 bomb tests conducted in Nevada.

People that are 'downwind' from the tests are potentially affected by the radiation from these tests and nuclear testing is bad are sort of the main points this doc tries to make which I could have just said myself without watching this 90 plus minutes of fairly bland long winded interviews that fail to make any convincing arguments or new insights. No real scientific evidence either, just a bunch of people complaining and drawing inferences.

The doc seems to lack a proper direction and the writing or I guess the editing is just half baked - I am not sure how doc writing works, maybe it is more the editing .

It appears that the filmmakers think they could ride on the importance of Nuclear Testing in a post "Oppenheimer" world and ride on the influence of some old celebs in the film who are vaguely connected to Nuclear tests.

The music is pretty cool and it makes you feel like you are watching something real, perhaps temporarily distracting you from the lack of focus in this 90 plus minute.

I liked some of the shots too and the old archives are always nice to watch but in the end this seems half baked and lacking in direction, vision or any real argument.

Go watch "The Day After Trinity" or the PBS Downwind doc which do a better job if this topic interests you.
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