The Beginning of the End 2020

In a framing segment, Joel Zito Araújo appears as himself, guiding viewers through a documentary that traces the rise of atomic energy and the race to harness it, presenting the material as part of a time-honored package of knowledge to be sealed away in a California time capsule for the year 2446.

A prelude newsreel sets the mood, balancing awe with concern as it introduces the central tension: the extraordinary promise of a new source of power alongside the immense danger it represents. The film then centers on key figures who shape this history. Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, a renowned physicist, voices both admiration for the discovery and a warning that such power must be handled with the utmost responsibility. Discussions among leading scientists unfold, including Matt Cochran, who works under guidance from Dr. Enrico Fermi and Dr. Marré, and who, along with Einstein’s input, helps convey the gravity of their findings to higher authorities, such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

As the nation enters war, the narrative moves forward to the moment Roosevelt authorizes a massive commitment to the Manhattan Project—amounting to as much as two billion dollars to push ahead with development. The story tracks the astonishing progress of 1942, when, at the University of Chicago, a controlled chain reaction is created in a controlled setting under the watchful eyes of observers like Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Nixon. General Leslie Groves is placed in charge, charged with assembling the vast network of scientists, industries, and defense resources needed to bring the project to fruition. The film then follows the arc into 1945, after Roosevelt’s passing, with President Harry S. Truman continuing support and the project relocating to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where the team pursues a single, momentous goal.

As the war against Japan intensifies, the narrative explains Truman’s decision to proceed with the use of the atomic bomb, a choice that carries monumental implications for military strategy and international power. Cochran and Nixon become part of the team assigned to transport the explosive device to Tinian, a mission that intensifies the stakes of every step along the way. Tragedy intersects with progress when Cochran encounters radioactive material and dies, a stark reminder of the personal costs behind breakthroughs. The following day, history takes a decisive turn: the Enola Gay, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, drops the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, marking a pivotal moment in the war and in global science policy.

Back home, the consequences ripple outward as Nixon returns to share the devastating news with Cochran’s wife, offering a human perspective on the broader upheaval caused by these events. The film maintains a steady, documentary tone throughout, presenting a sequence of linked episodes that together illustrate how a scientific triumph became a defining moment of modern history, shaping political decisions, battlefield tactics, and ethical debates for generations to come.