TIME: LIFE’S ULTIMATE ENEMY
This last week has been a bit of a difficult one for me personally. No need to get into the details here, but the overall theme has had to do with “is this all?” And all the little pieces that make up my day that get in-between me and my day and the more that I dream is still possible. I know the personal part of this reflection might not make sense, but I hope some part of it will resonate with you, Dear Reader.
Last night, I went to see Dunkirk with my movie-compadre. I remember seeing the trailer a long time ago and somehow have not managed to get out to see it. I think last night was a good night to go, because it provided a place fr me t contemplate that concept - time. Especially since it was a major theme of the film, and seemed to be woven throughout the entire story.
There are directors that you know will make a quality film; there are directors that you know will make a film in a certain way or style … and if you like that, then it doesn’t matter the name of the film, you will go see it. Christopher Nolan is that kind of director for me. I like that his movies are filled with thought-provoking themes, with a ‘look’ that can be gritty without being gratuitous, where he brings quality of solid story-telling to the screen that engages the viewer in more than one way. Dunkirk is all of these, and a little different than previous films.
I refer to Time as a main theme in this film, and so the film starts … with soldiers running away from the bullets - who is faster? Who can stay out of the line of fire? Can they get away ‘in time’? If you take the survivor and follow his story, it covers. 24 hours from the hopelessness of survival to one of hope as the masses of soldiers miraculously survive. The story is there, in the history books. That is not a spoiler. What Nolan brings to the screen are three separate views of the event - one from the men in the sky (over an hour), one from the men on the sea (over 24 hours), and one from the men on land (the ‘mole’, a dock of sorts that juts far out into the ocean; over the prior week). This reflects Winston Churchill’s famous quote: “We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
It is not random that time has been given a significant part - this provides the film with that uncomfortable ‘push’ to the end; as you know that deadline is looming, what’s going to happen? Time is squeezing in on the moment in history. It’s not about a character - don’t complain that there is no character development because that’s not what this film is about. Don’t complain that it is not a a cohesive plot, because it’s not about that either. It is about multiple snapshots into the many lives on that one day - the young boy trying to live, the cocky kid who thinks he’s invincible, the youth who wants his life to mean something, the pilot who will not give in but gives himself up in the end, the old man who knows what war is, the general who is overwhelmed by the hopelessness of the situation for his thousands of men, the subordinates who are sure it’s just a matter of time until they’re all dead … and then, in the nick of time, a swarm of little local boats coming over the channel. Is Time the enemy? Or the saviour? Does it squeeze its characters until they almost break or does it hold off the Enemy for one more minute until they can be rescued? It certainly is a character; perhaps the only one constant throughout the film. (Interestingly, the Germans are not given a name or a face; this means the story is about them but not, like a McGuffin: required to drive the plot forward but not what the story is about.)
If you want to know the value of an hour, ask lovers waiting to meet. If you want to know the value of a minute, ask the person who just missed the bus. If you want to know the value of one second, ask the person who just escaped death in a car accident. Time is the ultimate Enemy, for none of us can truly escape it. We might, for a minute or an hour or a week, but in the end, we all end up in the same place. The difference is … what happens between now and that moment, can make all the difference in the world. Miracles are possible. Just look at Dunkirk.
(Edited to include:)
90th ACADEMY AWARDS NOMINATED FOR:
Best Sound Mixing (Won)
Best Film Editing (Won)
Best Sound Editing (Won)
Best Original Music Score
Best Cinematography
Best Production Design
Best Director
Best Picture
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