"Dunkirk" - Review and Reflections - Part One

This week, I did something I don’t believe I have done before: went to see a movie in cinema for the second time. Of course, I had good reason: my wife hadn’t seen it. Even then though, that might not normally be enough for me to return to the cinema for a second viewing of a film. Only a truly exceptional film would be worthy. Dunkirk is a truly exceptional film. 

The latest, and arguably greatest, cinematic masterpiece to come from director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, Interstellar) is an immersive experience that expertly weaves together three non-linear storylines that finally meet off the coast of Dunkirk, where hundreds of thousands of British and French soldiers have been trapped between the Nazi army and the English Channel and are awaiting evacuation. These narratives are clearly and helpfully identified with supertitles at the beginning - along with the length of time covered in their respective stories - as 1. The Mole (one week), 2. The Sea (one day), and 3. The Air (one hour). 

The first narrative is centred on the beach around one of Dunkirk’s moles – a large pier stretching out into the sea - on which thousands of soldiers are queueing to board ships for safe passage home. Incidentally, there are lurking suspicions throughout this part of the story that another kind of mole might be present – a German spy perhaps. Exposed to German gunfire and bombing, thousands of nameless faces crowd the mole and surrounding beach, some waiting patiently and others desperately trying to find some means of escape – queue jumping, suicide by drowning, or seeking out beached vessels abandoned at low tide. Who these men are, where they come from, and where – other than “home” – they are going is unimportant to the story and indeed would be a distraction. What matters is their survival. 

The second narrative takes place over the course of a day in the English Channel. The call had gone out for small sea-worthy vessels that could safely approach and navigate shallow waters to converge on Dunkirk to aid the evacuation. A man and his son are not willing to let officers from the Royal Navy commandeer their boat, so set out across the channel joined by a teenage helper who wants to accomplish something with his life. Along the way, they are encouraged to turn back and eventually are given good excuse. But they have a job to do. 

The third narrative takes viewers into the skies, where first three, then two, and finally one Spitfire fighter pilots battle the Luftwaffe over the English channel, and finally over Dunkirk. The pilots need to watch their fuel and make sure they leave enough for the return journey, but with the enemy threatening a sea of ships and boats and a beach filled with huddled masses of demoralised troops, returning becomes less of a priority. 

The story - among the most inspiring in history – is brilliantly communicated with a visceral, existential emphasis on the visual more than the verbal. The cast is impressive – not least because it is made up of thousands of extras, unknown or little known actors, actors known mainly for their work on stage (Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance), actors not known for their acting (boyband member turned soloist Harry Styles), and Tom Hardy (who was not widely known until his breakout role in Nolan’s Inception).  The cinematography is superb. The time-ticking Hans Zimmer soundtrack is tense, edge-of-your seat stuff that oscillates between foreboding and soaring.

Dunkirk is art that depicts a story of real life - and death - of defeat that somehow manages to be not only defiant but also oddly triumphant. As such, there is much material for inspiration and a host of lessons that can be learned from the history behind the film, the film itself, and even what went into making the film. Leaders in particular would stand to benefit from a careful viewing and pondering of Dunkirk. 

This is part one - my review. Part two will feature my reflections.