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There’s a touch of Hollywood in this dramatised account of the 50 workers who stayed at Fukushima Daiichi in an attempt to avert catastrophe

Dangerously high concentrations of politeness are observed in this dramatisation of the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Not only do most of the heroic “50” left behind to avert nuclear catastrophe constantly apologise for underperforming in acts of barely believable self-sacrifice, at one point a manager begs forgiveness for refusing to allow two employees to re-enter the radioactive zone after a failed first attempt. To the feckless western mind more likely to view Homer Simpson as the standard-issue nuclear power-plant employee, it’s a relief when – just for a second – a few Fukushima workers contemplate running away.

It is possible director Setsurō Wakamatsu has taken the Hollywood route in portraying the staff as so infallibly courageous – though Fukushima 50 is adapted from journalist Ryusho Kadota’s book,...

„Fukushima 50” – the movie’s title – is a nickname that English-language media used to describe a group of employees at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, who still worked on-site after the evacuation of most of the staff to prevent further fatal consequences of 2011 disaster. Although the number of people at the plant rose significantly (to few hundred) after several days, when additional manpower was sent from around the country, the pseudonym stayed – to underline the sacrifice of the frontline workers and their solitary fight. And as one may expect, Setsuro Wakamatsu’s feature covers the events which followed the fateful earthquake and tsunami focusing on the people factor.

Fukushima 50 is screening at Japan Cuts

The screenplay is based on the non-fiction well-researched book by the journalist Ryūshō Katoda “On the Brink: The Inside Story of Fukushima Daiichi”, giving the insight into the matter through around 100 interviews with e.