I Hope 'Dunkirk' Wins Best Picture in Next Year's Academy Awards

Christopher Nolan has made some of the most exceptional films of the 21^st century.  Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, and Interstellar – I quite enjoyed all these films.  But Dunkirk could be his best-crafted film yet.

The Allied defeat in the Battle of France, called a “colossal military disaster” by Winston Churchill, pushed the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to the commune of Dunkirk, trapped in its beach and surrounded by German forces.  With much of the British Army threatened to be killed or captured by the enemy, hundreds of civilian vessels answered the call to help the Royal Navy evacuate the soldiers.  And thus, more than 300,000 troops were brought home to fight for another day.  The amount of evacuated soldiers was around ten times more than what was hoped for, prompting Churchill to call it a “miracle of deliverance.”

Dunkirk powerfully tells this story.  The narrative revolves around just a handful of characters, but it nonetheless projects the remarkable scale and vital significance tied to the epic historical event.  And with immaculate cinematography from Hoyte van Hoytema and stirring music from Hans Zimmer, Nolan’s vision for it is realized with utmost emotional and artistic impact.

An interesting thing about the editing is it gives more importance to “perspective storytelling” than “linear storytelling.”  Scenes don’t necessarily unfold in a chronological manner, but rather, the film jumps from one character’s point-of-view to another, and thus, several moments play out through various POVs.  It has a very riveting effect on the narrative.

There are top-notch performances from across the board.  But that’s probably expected from a stellar cast made up of Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh, James D’Arcy, and Tom Hardy.  Relative unknowns Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, and Aneurin Barnard were terrific, as well.  Heck, even ex-One Direction member Harry Styles was impressively solid.

To be honest, I thought Dunkirk was going to be like Saving Private Ryan and Hacksaw Ridge – a thoughtful war drama with some exciting, brutal battle scenes.  But that’s not the case.  So if one’s enjoyment of the film is dependent on expecting to see something similar to the awesome Normandy set piece in Saving Private Ryan, one is going to be disappointed – it may come off as uneventful.

As a war drama, it’s pretty restrained with its action (though those dogfight scenes made me want Nolan to make a film about the Battle of Britain next); it instead focuses on being more of a character study-type drama.  It explores how people react to desperate situations, which especially come about during wartime.  While others can’t help but succumb to weakness and self-preservation, others show valor and selflessness.

Some may be frustrated with some characters who survived and even honored as heroes in the end as they didn’t quite behave in a heroic fashion but benefited from those who did and suffered as a result.  Even those characters themselves think they deserve shame and scorn.  But as a Christian, I actually find it resonating.  Christian audiences of this film will appreciate the (likely unintentional) Christian subtext there – grace.  We deserve ultimate shame in Hell; what we got instead is to partake in Christ’s glory.  In addition, I like to think that after their “Miracle of Dunkirk” experience, those soldiers’ response would be the same as those who’ve genuinely experienced the miracle of grace: to fight the good fight courageously and steadfastly till the end, very much willing to suffer and die for the Cause.  Thus, I imagined they would have redeemed themselves during D-Day.

I love Dunkirk.  I was enthralled by its gorgeous shots and masterful editing, was made misty-eyed and touched by its powerful plot (with probably some edging from its compelling score), and was left with some worthwhile reflections.

Nolan really did great.  Dunkirk is a freakin’ masterpiece.

I am rooting for this movie to win next year’s Academy Award for Best Picture.  Nolan winning Best Director would be a fantastic bonus as well.