Christopher Nolan notes a connection between ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Inception’
British director Christopher Nolan has revealed an “interesting relationship” between his new movie Oppenheimer and his 2011 psychological drama Inception. The Dark Knight director is known for creating somewhat confusing plotlines, and it would appear he will deceive film fans once more with the ending sequence of Oppenheimer.
The forthcoming biopic stars Cillian Murphy in the central role of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer who is often regarded as the “father of the atomic bomb” due to his involvement in the Manhattan Project. The movie is scheduled to hit the big screen on July 21st.
In a new interview with Wired, Nolan revealed that Oppenheimer shares some of its DNA with Inception despite having vastly disparate plotlines and eras. He explained that the ambiguity surrounding the final scene of Inception, wherein Leonardo DiCaprio’s character spins his spinning top, is reprised to a degree at the close of Oppenheimer.
When asked whether his movies generally have an “anti-nihilistic” standpoint, Nolan pointed out: “I mean, the end of Inception, it’s exactly that. There is a nihilistic view of that ending, right? But also, he’s moved on and is with his kids. The ambiguity is not an emotional ambiguity. It’s an intellectual one for the audience.”
Adding: “It’s funny; I think there is an interesting relationship between the endings of Inception and Oppenheimer to be explored. Oppenheimer’s got a complicated ending. Complicated feelings.”
Later, the filmmaker was asked what audience reactions have been like thus far. “Some people leave the movie absolutely devastated,” he revealed. “They can’t speak. I mean, there’s an element of fear that’s there in the history and there in the underpinnings. But the love of the characters, the love of the relationships, is as strong as I’ve ever done.”
Oppenheimer will be Nolan’s 12th feature film and follows his 2020 sci-fi thriller, Tenet. Watch the full trailer for Oppenheimer below.
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