With another blockbuster summer in full swing, the spotlight is not only on the actors and actresses but rather Hollywood itself. The long-awaited Oppenheimer movie about the creation of the atomic bomb made a reported $82.5 million domestically on opening weekend according to NBC News. However, the visual spectacle has brought up historical issues with the atomic bomb that the movie and Hollywood did not mention.
In any scientific experiment comes the need for testing. One of the test sites that scientists used later known as the Trinity Test took place near the historically Hispanic village of Tularosa, New Mexico. Due to the atomic bomb testing the local population and its generations to follow would suffer from cancer due to the atomic radiation.
All the while those living near the site were never informed of the health risk or dangers that came with living so close to the testing site nor were they compensated for it as reported in a study by the Salt Lake Tribune in 2017.
Hollywood is no stranger to issues like this where the movies do not hold up to the reality that some have faced. Though there have been some improvements in the world of entertainment in areas like representation and inclusion on screen it begs to question the importance of it all.
Here is some food for thought for your next cinema visit. Does Hollywood have a responsibility to portray the story of all groups involved? Is there a limit to the historical embellishment a movie can have? How much justice is being done to the true history of an event if it’s being glamorized on the big screen?
