One of 2023's most anticipated and most heavily advertised movies, Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, recreates the role of its title character in the development of the atomic bomb in the 1940s.
For some, this is an epic feat of cinematic storytelling; for others, the marriage of mass entertainment with the story of the origin of weapons of mass destruction sits somewhat uncomfortably.
There seem to be two main sub-categories of war movies today, both of which condense the vast horror of 20th century industrial-scale warfare through the lens of a personal narrative. One type focuses on the exploits of the plucky little guy, the challenges faced by the ordinary soldier (like Saving Private Ryan, 1917 or Nolan's earlier work, Dunkirk), while the other is centred on the troubled famous person whose decisions have far-reaching consequences (like Oppenheimer, Enigma or Darkest Hour).
With this focus on one person's story, there is much that any movie must leave untold, and that has inevitably provided one of broad areas of criticism of Nolan's Oppenheimer. The views, indeed the work, of other scientists appear as a backdrop to those of the central character. Female characters are little more than a foil to illustrate the personal struggles of the male protagonist in a male-dominated world. Residents of the area around the test site are barely mentioned. The depiction of the impact of the explosion - heat, light, sound, radiation - while dramatic, is tame compared to what it would really have been. The myth that the bombing ended the war (by no means certain) is perpetuated.
Perhaps most seriously, the shattering real-life humanitarian impact of the use of the atomic bomb is never explicitly shown, though it is briefly alluded to. 80,000 people were annihilated in Hiroshima, and another 60,000 in Nagasaki, with many thousands more suffering horrific injuries leading to their deaths in the subsequent months and years.
Both through its successes (the complex portrayal of its main character, and his growing deep unease with the bomb project) and its shortcomings, the film provokes reflection on the exploitation of scientific knowledge for purposes of destruction, and in particular, on the threat to life on earth as we know it posed by nuclear weapons. As we approach the anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the urgency of creating a world free of nuclear weapons has never been greater or more apparent.
Here is a short selection of further resources discussing the significance of Oppenheimer:
Everyone can help forge a safe ending to what Oppenheimer began by Prof. Tilman Ruff of the University of Melbourne, Past President of IPPNW and co-founding member of ICAN, published by the University of Melbourne
Architect of Annihilation: Oppenheimer's Deadly Legacy of Nuclear Terror by Klee Benally, Indigenous Action
Facts and Myths about Oppenheimer compiled by ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
Post-Oppenheimer: What We Should Do To Dismantle Nuclear Weapons by Prof. Ivan Nikolić Hughes of Columbia University, President of Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, published by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
