About

A mesmerising and acerbic film collage, The Atomic Cafe is a viciously funny and fitfully shocking documentary that weaves together propaganda shorts, newsreels, advertisements, and nuclear test footage from the '40, '50s, and '60s to paint a portrait of America in the atomic age. The film eschews narration or talking heads, instead the three co-directors allow the existing footage to speak for itself. Much of the material was originally designed to reassure citizens living in fear of an imminent nuclear attack, but here clips take on an air of absurdity in their wide-eyed approach to the subject matter. The film is both a masterclass in editing prowess as well as a mirthful satire of American Cold War paranoia.