New in the cinema – “Oppenheimer”: Unspectacular as a spectacle – does it work? – Culture

Atomic bomb inventor Robert Oppenheimer is at the center of Christopher Nolan’s new film.

The United States killed between 100,000 and 250,000 people when they dropped the first atomic bombs. On August 6 and 9, 1945, the new weapons of mass destruction were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The film “Oppenheimer” follows the life of the man believed to be the father of atomic bombs – the physicist Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy.

Director Christopher Nolan has long been fascinated by the American scientist. “Like it or not, J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived,” says Nolan in the film’s press release.

“He shaped the world we live in – for better or for worse. And you have to see his story to believe it.”

From bomb maker to nuclear weapons opponent

Nolan traces Oppenheimer’s career – from the brilliant physics and chemistry student to the leader of the “Manhattan Project” to develop and build an atomic bomb, to the post-war period, in which he spoke out against the construction of hydrogen bombs. And is ostracized for it.

Legend:

Physicist Edward Teller (Benny Safdie, left) wants to promote the construction of the hydrogen bomb, Oppenheimer is against it.

Universal Pictures

But even if the invention of the atomic bomb changed the world, the process doesn’t look very exciting for the most part. Men in suits scribble on blackboards. Men in suits discuss in rooms. Men in suits poring over cluttered papers.

Fast paced, multiple narrative levels

To make things more interesting, Christopher Nolan relies on a concept that has worked well in his films so far: complexity.

The story is told at a rapid pace and across multiple timelines that are intertwined. Scenes are cut and resumed sometime later.

Legend:

Christopher Nolan directed and wrote the screenplay for «Oppenheimer».

Universal Pictures

Interspersed are abstract images that symbolize Oppenheimer’s world of ideas. Nolan says: “They reflect the thought process of a person who, looking at boring matter, perceived the extraordinary vibrations of energy that are in all things. And who wondered how to unleash and use them.”

Complex hassle

Nolan’s storytelling suited complex stories like the time travel in 2020’s “Tenet” or the space adventures in 2014’s “Interstellar.”

Legend:

Robert Downey Jr. as Oppenheimer’s later adversary Lewis Strauss. The scenes from his point of view are shot in black and white.

Universal Pictures

In the biopic of a scientist, however, the complex structure seems incongruous. The cinematic tricks do make the material, which is not really suitable for the cinema, more interesting. But the jumble of time levels and dozens of characters creates distance. The eponymous Oppenheimer is not tangible despite the long running time of the film.

Humanity is neglected

Nolan says: “At various points we try to penetrate Oppenheimer’s psyche and take the audience on his emotional journey. We wanted to tell these events from his point of view.”

Legend:

The most exciting sequence in “Oppenheimer”: the first test of the atomic bomb – with Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Universal Pictures

But Oppenheimer’s motivations, his pangs of conscience, and his breakdown after realizing the catastrophic effects of his invention are only hinted at. It would be precisely these human aspects that would be exciting.

Nolan has chosen an interesting protagonist. Telling Oppenheimer’s story is certainly important. But staying with the three hours of film is exhausting.

Theatrical release: July 20, 2023