This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Adelaide’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
To experience Oppenheimer, is to, at least in part, experience a type of existential dread. Throughout this film, Nolan underscores that while humanity has come to unlock the power of gods, that power is so firmly in the hands of people. People often dominated by their egos and jealousies and an understanding that once this weapon was achieved, naturally the question would always turn to why not make this but bigger, better more destructive. All of this becomes especially chilling in the lead up to the Trinity test. Even knowing how it all will unfold, I could not help but be moved by such an unrelenting dread as the clock hit zero and the screen was engulfed in light and flames as one has to truly reckon with what was formally unleashed that day.
Looking back on the very final revelation of the film, accounting for artistic liberties and not that its historical fact, to see that Strauss became so firmly engulfed with human emotions of jealousy, resentment and hate for the belief Oppenheimer turned Einstein against and the rest of the scientific community followed, when in reality there conversation was something far more existential and important than one man feels critical to understanding the film overall. Maybe Oppenheimer is a devil for his role in ushering in the atomic age, but maybe something that is more pressing is interrogating the people, the interests, the institutions and systems that can actually bring about that destruction and end times. How larger institutional choices guided us to those darker moments of near oblivion because rather than pursue some form of community and regulations and understanding, we doubled down on doubling up arsenal sizes and destructive power. Which, all of this left the very, very final sequence as utterly bone-chilling as we were made to confront this reality of the end before our eyes after spending almost three hours examining what it truly meant to get to this point.
Ultimately, I felt Nolan played this film very deftly in leaving much for the audience to determine for themselves as so much was presented to us in this time frame. Which, although not the fiery nuclear death depicted here, it was also hard not to reflect on the present moment and wonder how close we are to another type of oblivion with A.I. Especially because just as with nuclear weapons, its the same types of people, systems, and institutions that are enabling and encouraging its growth and more broadly it at least gives me pause about the nature of so many scientific advancements when they will almost be placed into these same corrupt, cruel, and aggressive hands.
Finally, I just want to underscore just how incredibly impressive this film was on every level. Obviously, Cillian Murphy gives a truly defining performance as Oppenheimer himself, capturing such a wide range of humanity, for both good and ill. His ability to capture the looks of a truly haunted and conflicted man were something to behold on the largest screen. The film also was utterly gorgeous to experience as Hoyte van Hoytema continues to illustrate why he is one of the best cinematographers working today. And of course, Nolan delivers one of his most impressive directorial efforts to date. With both Oppenheimer and Barbie, the last few days have underscored the vital role artists and workers across the film industry can accomplish and by all measures, it appears the people are flooding into the theaters to see their efforts. One can only hope the studio heads eventually realize these artists and workers cannot continue to be paid pennies on the millions they make and give them the pay and protections they deserve.
