The history of every city is reflected in the rich and diverse narrative told in each of its parts. What makes it so interesting and eventually engaging to explore one of the world's capitals or a metropolis on your own is to find these, and explore them on your own. Some of these places we know through pop-culture, but at the same time, the majority of them stay hidden, although their influence on local culture remains. One of the places is the Atomic Cafe in Los Angeles, which, even though it was closed in 1989, still holds a very special spot in people's hearts, especially those who were part of the L.A.'s underground scene. In their short documentary “Atomic Cafe: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town” directors Akira Boch and Tadashi Nakamura tell the story of the Atomic Cafe, its owner and its influence on the city's culture.
Atomic Cafe: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town is screening Busan International Short Film Festival
While their feature is only ten minutes long, the directors manage to cover a lot of ground, sticking to the main aspects as mentioned before. Apart from Nany Sekizawa, the owner of the cafe and mostly known by her nickname “Atomic Nancy”, her daughter and former employees of the establishment, Boch and Nakamura utilize a multitude of photographs, archival footage and newspaper clippings to tell their story. Even though you as the audience only catch a glimpse of what must have been quite the place to be if you were part of the underground culture, especially the punk movement, you still manage to see what the Atomic Cafe represented for many. It is a blend of nostalgia, but also happiness for a place that has long ceased to exist, but whose spirit lives on, as indicated by the people the directors interview for their documentary.
“Atomic Cafe: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town” is a documentary about a special place in Los Angeles, its people, its culture and what its represents. The director have managed to create a feature, which does not tell the full story, but which certainly makes you curious about this place and its meaning.
