Review: ‘First We Bombed New Mexico’ (2023) a chilling reminder of the hidden costs of the Trinity test

FIRST WE BOMBED NEW MEXICO

First We Bombed New Mexico

Anyone getting ready to vote Oppenheimer for best picture should first have to watch Lois Lipman’s First We Bombed New Mexico. America has much to reckon with when it comes to the legacy of the nuclear bomb – much of it on our own shores. This documentary potently explores further dark shadows this scientific achievement has left behind.

First We Bombed New Mexico still 1 The documentary follows Tina Cordova as she advocates for herself and her fellow “downwinders.” Downwinders are innocent bystanders who may have suffered negative health effects from the Trinity test  – the 1945 detonation of a newly developed nuclear weapon in New Mexico.

Cordova speaks for the many citizens who were unwillingly and unknowingly exposed to the radiation from the nuclear test. She is a compelling lead figure, warm and driven.

First We Bombed New Mexico still 2The anecdotes from the immediate aftermath of the nuclear test are truly horrifying. One particularly striking recounting involves children playing with what they thought was “warm snow, but may have actually been nuclear fallout. Still more disturbing is the potential generational effects of the test. There are recounts of stillbirths, of children born without eyes, and of widespread cases of cancer across the affected communities. Cordova herself is a thyroid cancer survivor, the 4th generation in her family to have cancer since the test in 1945.

The struggles of Cordova and her fellow downwinders seem relentless. Their end goals – formal recognition and an apology from the US government – seem so meager in comparison to the widespread challenges they face. It is easy for the audience to lose hope. Those expecting a neat resolution will be disappointed. But for those willing to explore the messy history behind Trinity, this documentary proves a worthwhile watch.


An inspiring Hispanic cancer survivor bangs on the corridors of power to fight for compensation and an apology for Native and Hispanic communities in New Mexico whose land and water was radiated by the Trinity Bomb.

WINNER OF THE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE JURY AWARD

 AT THE 2023 AUSTIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

WINNER OF THE AUDIENCE CHOICE BEST COMPETITION DOCUMENTARY AT THE 2023

 SANTA FE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Official Film Website: FirstWeBombedNewMexico.com

 

Instagram: @FirstWeBombedNMFilm

Facebook: @FirstWeBombedNewMexicoFilm

X (Twitter): @FirstWeBombedNM


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Barbenheimer: Notes from the Front Line

Barbie and Oppenheimer. Two unlikely partners who teamed up to revive the idea of a double feature, and to yield a truly blockbuster opening week for both films. My wife and I got in on the Barbenheimer chaos and emerged on the other side bruised but exhilarated. We saw Barbie first, and then Oppenheimer – I feel the inverse order may have actually been healthier for my psyche. Walking out of Oppenheimer into the bright weekend sun, I felt myself grappling with, even overwhelmed by, large universal questions. I could have really used some of Barbie’s brightness at that moment.

In many ways, these two films could not be more different. One is about a globally known and distributed children’s toy, the other the founder of the atomic bomb. One embraces and explores femininity and the female condition, whereas the other features maybe 4 female characters in total. One is bright and colorful (at least on the surface), whereas the other is dark and moody. On paper, this would not seem to be a great wine pairing.

There are, however, areas where the two films are quite complementary. At the end of the day, both films serve to investigate the humanity within very public, idealistic figures. Barbie is a toy and Oppenheimer a human, but they both exist today as contrasting symbols. Barbie was widely touted as a type of feminine ideal (although one that has been rightfully questioned and interrogated as a product of problematic patriarchal influence) and Oppenheimer as a symbol of America’s mental and physical supremacy.


Both films also ask complicated questions surrounding the way ideals or symbols exist or endure once they are exposed to the whims of the broader world. When Barbie and Ken leave Barbieland, they quickly learn that what they believed to be universal truths no longer apply. The way they see themselves may not be how others see them. Similarly, an initial vision for how the atom bomb might be leveraged quickly shifts when the weapon rolls out of the lab and into the hands of the US military. Both Barbie and Oppenheimer are forced to realize that intention doesn’t necessarily translate to reality.

Finally, both films also invite the audience to look inwards and ask themselves hard questions. As a cisgender white male, the common theme that resonated for me was that of complicity, but others may find different points of resonance.

Ultimately, I hope that the Barbenheimer experience motivates more audiences to seek out double features. I just hope the next duo is a little less heavy, and maybe a little shorter.