Oppenheimer

Nolan is the Dr. Manhattan of contemporary Hollywood. And perhaps will be for another two decades at least. At the peak of his creative powers, he can afford a three-hour conversation colossus, which subjectively lasts a third less, because the level of precision of all creative components is on an absolute level. Actually, even the most coveted gold-plated statue is completely understandable. And yet something is missing. Perhaps a bit of personal passion in front of and behind the camera. Without hesitation, however, this is the only film by the director that I know I will probably never watch again. PS: Sex in the interrogation room is probably the biggest cringe moment in Nolan's filmography. No debate about it. (24.03.2024)

The long wait for another Nolan film was broken by the biographical story of Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb. Yes, the subject matter is undeniably strong, but 180 minutes? Not so much. In typical Nolan fashion, he doesn't make it easy for the viewer, intertwining three timelines right from the start. If you're not familiar with the basics of Oppenheimer's life, good luck keeping up. The film is heavy on dialogue – a lot of talking, and not the gripping kind. This is especially apparent whenever Albert Einstein appears on screen; those moments steal the show and offer the best dialogue the film has to offer. It's a movie about a monumental scientific advancement, one that's essential for human progress but also one we might not deserve. It also highlights American arrogance and hints at what the Russians did afterwards – but let's not even go there. (23.12.2023)

I went to the cinema thinking that Christopher Nolan wouldn't make just a biopic. Well, it's basically a biopic for at least the first hour and a half. A bit more playful in terms of working with time planes, but above all, it's audiovisually imaginative and engaging in a way that all those academy-praised films like The Theory of Everything have little chance of capturing my attention anymore. Moreover, Nolan switches gears a little bit in the middle and starts to play a lot more with individual plot lines as well as genres, so that after the more daringly conceived biopic (which looks great in IMAX), Oppenheimer turns into a horror film at times, a psychological drama at others, and isn't afraid to be a courtroom thriller that even Aaron Sorkin would applaud. It's a bit of a shame that Nolan doesn't have more faith in his audience and always ends regurgitating what might seem a bit complex for the unfocused into a few sentences. I'd certainly have liked it if he'd pushed the line about the responsibility of scientists more and generally gone more in depth with the main character himself, but those are just small things. I was entertained by Oppenheimer for the entire three hours, whether Nolan was playing with image, sound, pacing and genres, or sticking to more traditional storytelling techniques, and just spicing them heavily with his audiovisual mastery. (20.07.2023)

In his most mature and least audience-friendly film, Christopher Nolan draws in and astonishes viewers of all levels of intelligence and education with three hours of talk about nuclear physics and politics. I bow down before him. Filming such a focused, perfectly acted, informationally rich and thoughtfully assembled mosaic of events that remains interesting and historically accurate throughout its runtime in just 57 days is a display of filmmaking mastery. The fact that Nolan was aided in this by a subject that concerns and terrifies each of us is not a crutch. Which other director could bring such verve to this subject matter? The intensity and urgency of the film’s narrative are again boosted by the clamorously mixed soundtrack by the wizard Ludwig Göransson (Tenet), which is worthy of admiration in its own right due to its originality and the creativity in the details. Brilliant stylisation of the characters, editing and casting of actors that you wouldn’t expect and who fit perfectly (Benny Safdie rules!). A those two crucial scenes built on essential filmmaking elements without digital aids are absolutely fantastic. Immediately after the film ended, I had mixed feelings, as I had expected something different, as perhaps each of us did. But as time passed, Oppenheimer grew on me and I’m glad that Nolan did it his way. (16.08.2023)

Two commissions, two ambivalent narcissists and a lot of tensions, things left unsaid and affecting history. Unexpectedly emotional and working with characters for a Nolan film. Spectacular in all its intimacy, transparent in all the time-playing frenzy of characters, names, and events. Three hours of dialogue condensed into what feels like a much shorter running time. The tangibility of it all, the acting, Göransson's score, the editing... Everything is at the highest bar, but that's no the reason to love it. The reason is how it totally nails it, how it grapples the issue in an unscholarly way asking the big questions of life, and how damn good it is as a film. (28.07.2023)