Converging Sequences?

Image: Univeral Pictures/ Syncopy Films 2023

What makes us like or dislike a film?
Oppenheimer, the newest film by Christiopher Nolan, received an overwhelming amount of praise from film critics, for example. So, do we like it and sing its praise because we are told so from all the reviews? Do we like it because it is a Nolan, hence we must like it? Would opinions read differently if we didn’t know the source? I mean, would analyses have that massive hype of popularity if everyone watched Oppenheimer for the first time without having any clue by whom it was directed and what cast had been contracted to act the characters? And would the audience make the connection to Nolan if they didn’t know? Interesting questions, right? 

Ultimately,  your own opinion is up to you, of course. But I'd like to tell you why I loved it.

Julius Robert Oppenheimer is a well-known figure in the field of physics and science. Many things have been said about him, his life's work, and how it came to winning the sprint for the first atomic bomb under his responsibility are well documented in books, reports, earlier films. Nolan’s film is based on such a book. So, how to do it then? How to make another film that literally took my breath away?
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​The answer, for me, is shown very beautifully to us and done like a true masterpiece in the film Oppenheimer. It is the art of portrayal.  With his film, Nolan has given us a portrait of a man in his unparalleled cinematographic language, so nuanced that we, extremely happy in fact, leave the cinema with all our senses wide awake and running at full speed.

Let’s take a closer look at the film. Spoilers are completely unintended; you need to decide if you should proceed with reading my post.

I read a lot about Oppenheimer after returning from the Nolan handles his film and the facts of the period with exactitude, and he shows a great sense of responsibility for historical accuracy. There are basically three story lines: the Manhattan Project culminating in the Trinity Test, the hearing of the application for Oppenheimer’s Q-clearance, and the hearing of Lewis Strauss. Already with this we encounter the first Nolan extravagance and non-linearity: Oppenheimer’s perspective of the Manhattan Project and the Security Clearance hearing are shot in colour. The hearing of Lewis Strauss is all shot in black-and-white, with truly mesmerising pictures. Our brain, however, is somehow ‘trained’ to understand black-and-white sequences as parts from the past. So, first challenge accepted!

Nolan has engaged an incredible cast. Cillian Murphy is, first, absolutely outstanding. His facial expressions, gestures, posture, the way of speech- Murphy in his role presents an almost frightening resemblance to the real J.R. Oppenheimer. Adorable, really. Great supporting characters like Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Florence Pugh, and Mathias Schweighofer to name some of them, are outshone by Cillian. The rest of the cast, however, show Oscar-worthy acting moments too, I can promise you.

And right there, for me, is the next challenge. Simply too many scientists and events with them take place at the same time. Albeit amazing to see and experience all those people, big names, and appearances, it is pretty much a, contest for the viewer’s concentration to keep pace with the who is who of scientists and in what way they were connected to Oppenheimer. Very enjoyable, nevertheless! I always welcome an endeavour as such. 

Two characters, in my opinion, did not get enough room in the film. His wife, played by an excellent Emily Blunt, and his mistress Jean Tatlock, played by a beautiful Florence Pugh. Oppenheimer had a difficult relationship with his wife Kitty. Maybe there was a lot of physical attraction at the beginning, but it was certainly no love on both sides. The marriage was volatile and violent at times. Nolan shows Oppenheimer as someone who is forgiven very easily and by anyone, and this is exactly what Kitty had to deal with all the time. She, nonetheless, was very loyal, very brave, fierce in the end, and a fascinating person in her own right. Unfortunately, her part does not get the recognition it deserves. We cannot emotionally connect, hence not identify with her. It is like a sideshow, that’s a bit unlucky, I think.

The other character I need to talk about is Jean. She was Oppenheimer’s true love, even though it was an on-off relationship. For her whole life she fought with depression and her sexuality. This is not mentioned in the film at all, but her sexuality especially was such a big deal for her. She was a psychiatrist and medical specialist herself; we also don’t hear about this in the film. She is presented very reduced to the sexual aspects, but there was much more between those two lovers. There is one beautiful and very touching glimpse of it after their lovemaking where they are sitting naked and satisfied, having an intensely intimate conversation. Like Oppenheimer, Jean was very much into poetry, art, and literature, a very passionate woman. In fact, it was her who introduced him to ‘Batter my heart, three person’d God’, a line of a poem that Oppenheimer recited just before the Trinity Test was executed. The test was named Trinity Test only because of ‘three person’d God’, and I am convinced Oppenheimer actually thought of Jean when he looked through the small window, praying for the test to be successful. 

My thoughts about the film would not be complete without Robert Downey Jr. He plays Lewis Strauss in the film and, without giving away too much about his role in the story, he is grandiose. Absolutely grandiose. Oppenheimer's  connection with him, their conflict and hostility, their dialogues, are decidedly the heart of the film. The whole epos belongs to Murphy and him. Please watch it, I could not recommend it more.
 
Other than that, there are so many beautiful artistic aspects, the film is full of finesse. There is a moment at the beginning of the film in which, inside Oppenheimer’s head, the mechanics and components of quantum physics melt to a wonderful symphony. Please watch out for this. It is a master's stroke in cinematography. The magic of science is not only Oppenheimer’s religion, Christopher Nolan’s own love, respect, and fascination for it comes across in any section of the film. And with this, please think about it for a second, he manages to make something tangible for us that is in general a mysterious theory for many people.

In every respect, it is a brilliant, brilliant film in my eyes. Truly a masterpiece . Never before have I seen such a powerful visual performance, such overwhelming sound effects. This is more than first-class cinematographical story telling. To say it in Maths terms, and I think Nolan will be pleased to hear this, maybe, the film is like convergent sequences. We get further and further along the story lines, the sequences, and the terms get closer and closer to an infinite adventure for our senses...

​Please enjoy!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



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