Godzilla Minus One

A monster movie that is really about Japan’s repressed memories of the Second World War, albeit with its own constraints in how it deals with those memories.

Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe) watch on in horror as Godzilla rampages through Tokyo in Godzilla Minus One (Toho Studios).

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This post is part of the ‘One Take’ weekly series analysing the politics of a film currently showing at the cinemas.

Content warning: Suicide; Bereavement.

Note: Given that, at time of writing, Godzilla Minus One is still showing in UK cinemas, this analysis only lays out as much of the film’s scenario as is necessary so as to avoid spoilers. It is therefore suitable to be read either before or after watching the film, while hopefully still enriching the viewer’s appreciation of it either way.