the bomb places the viewer in the middle of the story of nuclear weapons--the most dangerous machines ever built--from the Trinity Test in 1945 to the current state of nuclear weapons in 2017. It explores the culture surrounding nuclear weapons, the fascination they inspire and the perverse appeal they still exert.
It conveys the impossibility of controlling this technology.
the bomb is about the immense power of nuclear weapons, their dark allure and ingenious technology, the computer systems invented to control them, the missiles and bombers built to carry them, the practice of denial and secrecy that perpetuates them, the societal and cultural influence of them, and the profound death wish at the very heart of them.
“the bomb is a powerful example of the combined impact technology and storytelling can have on an audience.”
- Genna Terranova, Tribeca Festival Director
“The inherent strangeness of the experience — this not knowing what to do with oneself—made viewers vulnerable, which in turn made them more susceptible to the bomb’s message.”
- Newsweek
“the bomb is marked by a desire to break free of typical forms of cinematic discourse--the scolding documentaries or dramatized and predictable fictions...You could almost mistake the whole thing for an intimate concert with some projected images. But that wouldn’t quite describe its eclecticism or ambition, or its surprisingly powerful emotional trajectory.”
- Village Voice
“Mesmerizing...stunning...[the bomb] makes excellent use of archival materials and its space, building to a powerful, touching conclusion that magically stopped the audience cold in its tracks, creating a powerful communal experience--just as all good cinema ought to.”
- The Film Stage
BERLIN
The international premiere of the bomb was held on the opening day of the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. Selected as a Berlinale Special, the bomb was projected on a single screen at a 1,000 seat theater, with The Acid playing the score live.
“the bomb is a hallucination, an instructional film, a warning film, cultural history, all aestheticized, everything moving as one. Enlightening anti-nuclear opera, which threatens, explodes and is mercilessly emotional. This is how you do this today. This is what can work.”
- Die Welt
“An abstract wonder and a literal nightmare: a dazzling view into the abyss.”
- New York Observer
“It’s da bomb.”
- Hollywood Reporter
GLASTONBURY
Under wide open skies at Glastonbury, the bomb was showcased in 360 degrees to unprecedented crowds. Over the course of the festival, The Acid played three powerful shows, and the audience reacted with open jaws.
"Nothing quite like this has been attempted at Glastonbury."
- Emily Eavis, Glastonbury Festival Organizer
"This is craziest thing I've ever seen."
- Glastonbury Viewer
