Christopher Nolan has always been recognized for creating complex, mind-bending thrillers and visually inventive action pictures.Oppenheimeris the director’s first R-rated film sinceInsomnia, hinting that Nolan is treading back towards his early days of creating psychologically-driven dramas likeMementoandFollowing.
Nolan’s previous R-rated films contain protagonists who are highly intelligent but deal with psychological struggles while obsessing over their own dilemmas.Oppenheimerwill also potentially involve the title character having stressful moments as he contemplates his creation of nuclear weapons. After twenty-five years of directing, Nolan intends to continue raising his game, so viewers continue to experience his features on a grand scale.
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Oppenheimer Is A Psychological Drama
Nolan’s new three-hour biographical picture will center on J. Robert Oppenheimer(portrayed by the director’s frequent collaborator Cillian Murphy), a physicist who’s responsible for the development of the atomic bomb. Based on the recent trailers, this film tackles the subject of warfare, specifically World War II (reminiscent of Nolan’s 2017 filmDunkirk).Oppenheimerquestions whether the United States has the power to build and use nuclear weapons to destroy the enemy and protect its soldiers and civilians. However, on the other hand, the implications of operating atomic bombs are dangerous because they are destructive weapons that can tragically end thousands of lives and catastrophically destroy homes and properties.
In his first leading role in a Nolan film, Murphy appears more emotional and dramatic than ever before, seeking to display Oppenheimer’s intelligence and persistence as a scientist while also expressing his vulnerabilities and contemplating if his work is both impactful and harmful to humanity. Along with his distinguished and complex work as a physicist, the movie will also reveal Oppenheimer’s personal life and relationships. These include his marriage to Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer (another physicist who took part in the Manhattan Project portrayed by Emily Blunt) and his supposed love affair with Communist Party member and psychiatrist Jean Tatlock (played byFlorence Pugh) who, like Oppenheimer, suffered from depression and anxiety. Oppenheimer was also a chain smoker (reflected upon the film’s poster) which resulted in his struggles with throat cancer.
Nolan Depicts Flawed Protagonists In Turmoil
Oppenheimer is one of many protagonists Nolan has tackled in terms of depicting characters with deep moral and psychological elements. In his last R-rated film,Insomnia, Al Pacino portrays a decorated LAPD detective named Will Dormer, who has a history of taking down numerous criminals but is under investigation for planting evidence to make arrests. While looking for a killer in Alaska, Dormer fatally shoots his partner (who was going to testify against him) by accident, leaving Dormer depressed and unable to sleep, giving the killer he’s pursuing the opportunity to mess with his head.
InMemento, Guy Pearce stars as Leonard Shelby, an insurance investigator who has amnesia after he’s attacked during his wife’s murder. On his quest for vengeance to find his wife’s killer, Leonard questions people and writes down important notes to remember about the case. However, Leonard’s situation is more complex than expected due to his amnesia, and Nolan depicts his condition and paranoia in reverse-chronological order, so audiences can try to understand his state of mind.
Nolan’s first film,Following, is about a protagonist simply called “The Young Man” (played by Jeremy Theobald who starred in Nolan’s short filmDoodlebug), a poor writer who analyzes the lives of thieves and gangsters in order to write his first novel, but then becomes too involved in their dangerous criminal underworld. Nolan’s protagonists in his R-rated films are troubled and obsessed with trying to solve impossible conflicts.
Oppenheimer Is Nolan’s Return To Old-Fashioned Drama
After nearly two decades of tackling action features likeThe Dark Knight Trilogy,Inception, andTenet, Nolan appears to make a return to the old-school drama withOppenheimer, and his first biographical picture since he made the historical war epicDunkirk(hinting that the filmmaker may want to direct more features based on real-life figures and/or archival events). Reminiscent ofMemento,Oppenheimerwill potentially use a combination of color and black-and-white sequences in order to display various timelines and flashbacks to tell a complex, non-linear story. The trailer for the new film shows Oppenheimer, his family, and other scientists and military personnel preparing for the creation of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico shot in color, while Oppenheimer’s interactions with reporters and cameramen, along with courtroom scenes, are in black-and-white.
This drama also comes at a poignant time in which political tensions for the U.S. is high both domestically and internationally, with points still being raised about how perilous nuclear weapons are to the world. Oppenheimer did believe that the atomic bomb would end the war and bring American soldiers home but also realized that there would be negative implications (such as enemies who will try to construct bigger and more efficient nuclear bombs). Another dilemma Oppenheimer faced was how his scientific work (which was very important to him) would be politicized and misused by others.
Nolan Will Still Use Ensemble Casts and Visual Effects To Tell A Story
While Nolan appears to be treading back to directing dramas, he will undoubtedly continue to assemble large ensemble casts (like the cast forOppenheimerwhich includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon,Robert Downey, Jr., Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, and Florence Pugh) in order to have star power and mass appeal for his films. Depending on the projects he tackles, Nolan also relies on well-choreographed special effects while making sure they are practical and realistic without heavy use of CGI.
A nuclear weapon was used in the plot ofThe Dark Knight Risesbut forOppenheimer, Nolan uses real explosives and no CGI for the massive Trinity nuclear test to ensure viewers can experience the intensity of the action in theaters and IMAX. Spectators may ask why Nolan considered making a feature about the atomic bomb. The reason may be that while the physics and development of nuclear weapons are intriguing on a visual and scientific basis, it’s the man behind the creation that’s the most important part of the story. Cillian Murphy’s first protagonist in a Nolan picture will display Oppenheimer’s tragically complex career of a brilliant mind who was involved inone of the most controversial time periods in American history.
