Given the large number of documentaries about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Witness to Hiroshima, at 16 minutes, feels slight at best, especially when compared to other excellent recent films such as White Light Black Rain which made last year’s Notable Videos for Adults list.

The entire 16 minutes is comprised of still images of Keiji Tsuchiya and the amateur watercolors he painted in response to the bombings. Keiji was a soldier who entered Hiroshima shortly after the bombings. I don’t know if the film was based on an interview or on Keiji’s written work, but the primary voice throughout the documentary is that of the translator. Keiji’s voice is seldom heard. The final few minutes jumps to Keiji’s more recent work with saving hermit crabs.