Dunkirk (2017)

Writer/Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D'Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh

This powerful film relates the historic evacuation of British forces from the beach at Dunkirk, where they had been pursued by the German army. 

Point of view characters give us a window to the action from land, sea, and sky.

 

This is another narrative puzzle from writer/director Christopher Nolan.

 

Each strand of the story plays out over a different length of time—one week for land, one day for sea, and one hour for air—yet they are edited together as if happening simultaneously. 

Nolan provides narrative landmarks along the way to keep the action clear, and the way the narrative threads join up is often surprisingly moving. 

Like another terrific film about a terrible moment in history, United 93, Dunkirk eschews the exploration of character and does not even provide names for all of his protagonists. 

Some have said this is a weakness in the film, but I think it is an appropriate choice when your subject matter is an event that is bigger than any single person.

 

Action reveals character and, due to the skill of these fine actors, I felt like I grew to know these men as well as you might get to know anyone in such a desperate situation.

 

Hans Zimmer’s ever-present score adds to the atmosphere immeasurably.