One Film A Day: Oppenheimer

DAY 11 - 10/11/2023

One day after it was released digitally, I needed, wanted even lusted to see this film again. Directed by Christopher Nolan, this masterpiece is Oppenheimer (2023).

I have to say, this film has one of the best openings 15 minutes I've ever seen in any film. The way the pace, music, sound work and visuals draw you in is just magical. The music has been getting a lot of recognition and rightfully so. The opening montage of when J. Robert Oppenheimer is learning at University is one of the best montages I've ever seen.

It's not overly complex, but it isn't quite so simple either. The way it's cut together with such a prompt and matter-of-fact energy is really a work of art. There are few filmmakers and fewer editors with the confidence to make a montage with that level of execution. The basic principles of filmmaking are just so cleanly and expertly applied that I just had to shout it out.

Cillian Murphy must get an Oscar for this performance. Not that he needs one but I just want his performance to be formally recognised in Hollywood. He just showed them what great acting is. There is no other way to explain how amazing it was to lose myself in his performance. The sadness, the realisation, the pain and the blame. All of it in one simple expression.

Oppenheimer is proof of the brilliance of the director as an artist. His evolution. The culmination of his career. If you haven't seen it, I just feel like you should. But hey its a free country right?