“Oppenheimer” by Ludwig Göransson

Christopher Nolan, renowned for his high-concept and visually captivating films, continues to push the boundaries of cinematic storytelling with his latest effort Oppenheimer, a film about the life and work of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American physicist who played a pivotal role in the development of the atomic bomb. Beyond a mere biographical exploration, Nolan examines profound themes of ambition, moral dilemmas, and the far-reaching consequences of scientific advancements. His penchant for nonlinear storytelling allows him to explore Oppenheimer’s inner turmoil, his intellectual brilliance, and the weight of responsibility he carried as the “father of the atomic bomb”. This multi-dimensional approach creates a captivating and immersive cinematic experience, leaving audiences questioning the choices made and the impact of those decisions.

Nolan is known for being a true visionary who prefers practical effects and shooting on film and thus always creating a tangible and immersive cinematic experience. But with Oppenheimer, for the first time, he also truly delivers on an emotional level. His nuanced and multi-layered script provides the basis for two genuinely Oscar-worthy performances. In a film brimming with familiar faces, it’s a barely recognizable Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss who delivers the performance of a lifetime. Nothing comes even close! He better start making room on his mantel. Likewise, trailer companies can start updating their credits template to “Oscar winner Cillian Murphy,” because the Irish actor absolutely shines as the enigmatic physicist, portraying him as a multifaceted individual, flawed and burdened by the weight of his actions.

I also could rave endlessly about how Nolan, with the help of Ludwig Göransson’s haunting score, stages the first two hours(!) of the film as one long continuous montage, even though it mainly features people, in rooms, having conversations. Yet the pacing fucking kills you! Or how he pulls off the stunt of creating the perhaps most poignant film about the A-bomb without showing a single mushroom cloud in the entire three hour long runtime. But it’s not the technical aspects that linger. It’s the human factor that still resonates days later, turning Oppenheimer from a masterful film into a significant historical document.

Just as we as a society continue to struggle with questions of ethics in science and technology and the political agenda behind them, Nolan’s film is a timely reminder of the lasting consequences of human ingenuity. It couldn’t be more relevant than it is right here, right now. And that, along its technical and artistic brilliance, is perhaps the greatest achievement of this new and quite possibly best Christopher Nolan film.