Oppenheimer Analysis

The biggest, loudest, and most restrained Nolan film…and the most petite cheekbones. I just had to write this down to be able to sleep. Oppenheimer is as accessible as The Prestige and as minimalist as Dunkirk, if not more. Why this one shines through his filmography is because it’s watchable: the most patient and practiced performance from Murphy, the expertly small and resourcefully written emotional scenes, and the massive star cast that keeps you intrigued. The visual language is as always awe-inspiring. But this time the seductive visuals are taken to a much more psychological effect than technical. The rooting of all events to a protagonist, makes the multiple timelines catchy through a wingy sequence of events intermingled for drama, giving a sense of history being made.

The prophetic effect of Oppenheimer and his vision becomes chilling in the most inventive scenes of the film: the test and the speech. And so the switch after the bombing becomes more palatable, the weight on his shoulders profound (this couldn’t have been possible otherwise, because of the swift screenplay). The somewhat magic realism expresses trauma from the past, heightened flashy visuals like any psychological thriller, but unlike Memento. One might argue that the female characters are one-note, but Oppenheimer’s sexuality becomes a significant element of the presentation of his loneliness. Here is a protagonist, lost in all ways possible, deluded only by his ambitions: how to neither let him be a martyr nor a monster?- Show that he has lost his sense of self, he himself knows only experiences and not reality. This conflict is obviously shown in a switch between B&W and color frames, bringing in the political aspect (the ‘who writes history?’ trope with a pulpy twist). But then again, there is Robert Downy Jr. stupidly good, bringing sketchiness to pettiness. There is a classic Nolan eye-opener scene, but it’s less of a winning moment for the director and more of a contemplative end. The maturity of Oppenheimer is in its darkness, the recurring theme of guilt now found with higher stakes. There are sweet references to scientific history that may play out as amusing laughs for the general audience. There is an Adam and Eve foreshadowing(the green apple). The narrative develops Murphy’s character and thankfully not the other way around. Through the timelines mirroring fact, experience, and memory you get this sense of the making of history, the development of a person in a certain time and space. And at the end, obviously, what difference did he make? Oppenheimer is traditional, juicy, sophiscated, messy, and savvy. But primarily, in those tight closeups, in wide frames, there is a man of contradictions who changed the world and fell through the clouds, with all his poetic charm. And to its benefit the film doesn’t get carried away with patriotism and legalities, making it a global phenomenon.