Dunkirk

Dunkirk, possibly one of the greatest disasters in British military history, where Britain very nearly lost the war. Creating a film based on such traumatic historical events must be an incredibly daunting task, but Christopher Nolan handles it well.

Beware, there are possibly some spoilers ahead.

From the very beginning the film emphasis the hopelessness of the situation, emphasising how desperate the characters are. The British have been driven from the continent, the French are barely holding the line, and the Nazi's are closing-in on all sides. In short, the allies are in dire need of a miracle. This is not a film about achieving victory against all odds, this is a film about surviving by the skin of your teeth.

Unlike a large number of stories that deal with dark moments Dunkirk manages to avoid testing the audiences empathy, and prevents them from falling into apathy. From the very first scene it works to get the audience invested in the characters and their plight, and keeps us with them through even their darkest moments. No matter how much things go wrong, or how many times hope is snatched away from the leads, the audience never feels cheated, and we never actually feel that the situation is beyond salvation. Although, a large part of that is that we have the benefit of knowing how events actually transpire; even if the fates of the fictional characters are not so certain. It takes a certain kind of movie to ramp the tension up so high, putting the audience on the edge of their seat, and then keep them there for its entire run.

From the very beginning the audience is made aware that people can die for any reason, sometimes from sheer bad luck.

I will say that a couple of points the action was a little muddled, making it difficult to see what was happening, and to whom. However, that may have been a deliberate choice, in order to heighten the sense of chaos inherent to the situation being portrayed.

Mention must be made of Hans Zimmer's soundtrack here, it works very well with the visuals. He creates a score that is unsettling, with a constant beat that creates the impression of time ticking away. His music enhances the emotions of the characters, helping us feel their fear, their despair, and even there hope in certain sections.

On top of that we have the excellent use of audio effects to heighten the tension; such as the whine of the German planes as they close-in on the British forces assembled on the beach. The sound of which quickly becomes dread-inspiring to the audience as well.

In terms of characters we of course spend some of the story from the perspective of the British soldiers stranded in Dunkirk, but that's not the only viewpoint we get. We also get to see events from the point of view of those trying to rescue them, both in the military, and the civilians who responded to the call for help. This is to the film's benefit, as we not only see the despair and horrors of war; we also get to see the courage and determination that can arise from people confronted by adversity.

The main characters are all distinct with their own motivations and personalities, which naturally makes it easier to emphasise with them. Each set of characters helps to show one aspect of the conflict, whether it be the desperation of the soldiers on the beach, the heroism of the civilian sailors, or the determination of the fighter pilots. Also, the characters don't just have things happen to them, they also makes things happen … or they try to. As such each character shows an admirable level of agency, even as the world tries to sweep them away into the chaos.

It was also nice that the officers shown in the film are reasonable humans, down on the beaches with their men. As opposed to war films that portray most officers as pompous blow-hards, obstructive bureaucrats to be overcome by real soldiers. Here they express concern for their men, although they still make the “tough decisions”, whilst struggling with the gravity of their choices.

A note must be made about the inclusion of the French forces in this film. Although they only actually appear once in the film, near the very beginning, they a mention a couple of times throughout. Even though there inclusion is minimal, it is clear they played a key role in the survival of the British forces. It likely would have been tempting to make this film entirely about the British to the exclusion of all else, as with most war films that concentrate on one specific faction. So it was nice to see their role acknowledged, even if the acknowledgement itself was only minimal.

That said, it might also have been nice to see their role expanded a little. Perhaps a few more scenes of them holding the line, or the appearance of one or two more named French characters. The French often seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to films about world war 2.

As an aside, it might be nice to have a film entirely about the French resistance at some point.

Overall I can recommend this film for anyone looking for a good war movie, or just an examination of people in the face of adversity. Although, perhaps not to those looking for a movie about the British army covering itself in glory.

Until next time,

PhoenixAct.