This is definitely Experimental yet Expository. The film is very distanced from the events it is depicting, by showing only through photographs, mixed media, and automated voices. The avant-garde presentation lends some drama that would otherwise be missing in a traditional expository documentary approach.
The automation of the voices is quite haunting. It adds an uncomfortable layer of apathy and protects the identity of the narrator as though there is something for them to hide. This makes the documentary feel as though it is something we almost shouldn't be watching. Beneath the surface of the film is an unshakable looming presence of paranoia.
The experimental aspects were the same as mentioned before. Through only photographs, automated speech, and shaky found footage, there are about zero talking head interviews and the sparse inclusion of a true human voice.
It’s hard to say wether or not the piece is true. I wouldn’t be surprised either way. It makes sense for a small town that birthed a piece of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki to be protected by the Government as well as come to embrace their presence given the time of paranoia that swept the country afterwards. That being said, even if it is fake, the overall presentation and the story it tells makes for a very compelling conspiracy thriller. If this is fictional I would be intrigued at what a feature length approach to the story would entail.
I really think there is enough material in the short film to adapt it to a feature length production. But the film is so highly experimental who knows how well it would be received. It's a great piece of filmmaking though..
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