"Dunkirk" is a Stunning, Visual Feast Full of Tension...and a Weird Narrative Style

 
   Year after year filmmaking as an artform has continued to grow, and with it the level of talent from film-makers have become more inovated, inspired, and extremely engaging. Christopher Nolan, one of the more technically-influenced directors of our day, constantly delivers films that boast some of the most captivating cinematography ever captured on film. His latest movie Dunkirk has no shortage of stunning visuals and amazing production. I really didn't know what to exect with this movie going in. Nolan seems to always employ a level of dramatic-sensory that raises his narratives to a higher, slightly more fantastical level than normal. Dunkirk is not that at all. This movie is grounded in reality and doubles down on the tension of the situation. How Nolan was able to capture that while delivering some stunning visuals (and a sound design to boot) is beyond me, and I tip my hat to the guy. That being said, this movie is probably Nolan's most experimental film (at least since Momento) and with that aspect comes a narrative style that is jarring, confusing, and really, really wonky.

    The film drops you right into the thick of the action. The whole narrative follows the allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France who are surrounded by the German army and the efforts to evacuate them during a fierce battle in World War II. There are a handful of really intense action sequences, some fantastic acting and insane visuals, but that all falls short to the crazy narrative style of the piece. We never really get to know the characters as individuals. The few we meet more intimately are merely vessels for the audience to experience the situations unfolding around them. While that can be a cool aspect, we loose out on the emotional connection between audience and character. Couple that with a strange, looping narrative that messes with time without telling you that it messes with time, and you may be left scratching your head halfway through.

   There's something to be said about a movie being heralded as a masterpiece, of which this movie is, when the emotional connection to the characters aren't the important part. This is in every way a movie to "experience," because for the entire runtime you are experiencing the horror, trauma, suspence, tension, fear, and resolution with the soldiers you see on screen. Is it a masterpiece in my book? Speaking only of the technical production of the film I'd say it's one of the best I've seen. But the strange narrative style really became a point of distraction for me upon first viewing. I found myself trying to connect certain beats one with another rather than submitting fully to the experience. It took a second viewing for me to really appreciate the craftsmanship as a whole; accepting the unconventional narrative style and submitting myself to the experience all together made for a more positive viewing experience and I enjoyed it that much more. All of that said, I recommend seeing this movie. Visually speaking it is stunning. If there was CGI used I couldn't tell you where it was. For my money it looked all practical, and that always makes things better in my book. The sound design is amazing and the score of this movie is some of the best I've heard, especially within a Christopher Nolan film. Check this movie out on the biggest screen you can find and experience one of the more stunning, moving, and unique movies of the summer.