CityWalk 70mm IMAX! 

Yeah, I'm convinced this is the Lawrence of Arabia of the 21st Century. Is that a bold statement? Probably, but it's pretty accurate. Also insane how this pretty much reframes Nolan's entire filmography linking each movie together in a way that gradually peels back the layers of the man revealing his soul and the fears and anxieties that keep him up at night. His fear of man's lust for dominance and arrogant pursuit of knowledge and its cycle of self destruction.

So much of this film is birthed out of Nolan's fear of knowing too much making it the perfect inverse of Tenet. I truly believe he lives by the words "don't try to understand it, feel it" because intuition, and human emotions are our biggest assets. The more we try to understand life on an existential level, the more we inevitably destroy it because we're afraid, we're afraid of the unknown and burdened with the sanctity of life and it's inevitable end. You wanna know what scares Nolan? That, and honestly it scares all of us to an extent. I think it's why a lot of his films play with time and almost reverse engineer the actions. I also think it's why this story and the idea of nuclear Holocaust is so anxiety ridden and scary because, it mimics our own inevitable death - it could come at any moment, without warning or reason. I'd actually argue this is why he adores and loves his family so much AND loves stories and film. Film is an escape, but it's also a coping mechanism and catharsis for him as an artist. He loves his family so because he understands how precious every moment is with them.

Going back to Tenet (because of course) the idea that "ignorance is our ally" - he believes that sometimes blissful ignorance is better than being burdened by knowledge. So much so his spy film is about compartmentalizing information and preventing the world from what might have been so that people can continue to live their lives freely and without fear. Tenet is his dream, his wish for humanity, Oppenheimer is the reality we live in. I also think in a meta sense the idea of feeling it and not understanding it, blissful ignorance is how he likes to view movies and stories and subsequently tell them. I mean shit man The Prestige is about two men on a collision course of magic tricks and ego trying to understand the others version of the same trick until it destroys both of them but especially Hugh. It's TELLING that he relays that as a cautionary tale ending with Michael Caine saying "you want to be fooled." Because ain't that the fuckin truth man!

It's also why I felt Inception ended with Cobb in limbo (though I go back and forth as evident by my latest rewatch), because it's the idea of blissful ignorance of WANTING to be fooled whatever the reality is. Maybe it's not him being in limbo, but I think it's why Nolan refuses to answer the question and why the mending of Fisher's relationship with his father is viewed as a good thing.

Oppenheimer is the first film he's made where the protagonist is unable to live in ignorance and is burdened by what he's released onto the world. Oppenheimer in a lot of ways reflects the mind of Nolan. Now obviously, the man was a bit different and has his flaws that aren't Nolan, but the core idea feels in line with Chris as a person.

So much of his filmography is about the dangers of pursuing too much knowledge. There are consequences, good and bad, that come with it. You have to be prepared to accept and if you aren't willing to, it'll destroy you.

Oppenheimer is Nolan's midlife crisis.