Paper Crane Dichotomy
A feature documentary coming soon
Paper Crane Dichotomy is a documentary in development that retraces the wartime journey of my Dutch-Indonesian grandfather, Willem Rudolph van Tongeren, who survived Japanese captivity and forced labour in Nagasaki during the Second World War.
Drawing on his unpublished writings, family archives and my own travels through Indonesia and Japan, the film explores inherited trauma, historical responsibility and the contradictions of memory and reconciliation, including the devastating legacy of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, which he witnessed from a distance.
This short opening sequence offers a glimpse into the documentary's personal narrative and visual approach, where family memory intersects with a complex and often uncomfortable history.
My Pa watched the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber fly high overhead from his new place of captivity in Tagawa, higher than any aircraft he'd seen before. It must've seemed like science fiction. With the war winding down, not much else could be heard but that groaning silver speck high in the morning sky, banking towards his former haunt, Nagasaki.
Trauma doesn't end with those who experienced it.
Memory isn't nostalgia, but responsibility.
Written, directed and produced by Daniel Bowden.
© 2026 Daniel Bowden Media
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