Film Corner: Dunkirk

I saw Christopher Nolan's new film Dunkirk this weekend. I am a huge Nolan fan, and love most of his films (sorry, Insomnia, but you're garbage!), and Dunkirk is among my very favorites.

It isn't often that I would strongly recommend a war movie, no less a war movie about such a particular time and place that leaves virtually no speaking roles for women and none for people of color. But Dunkirk is a World War II story worth telling, at this moment.

Dunkirk is a tremendous film. Relentlessly harrowing. Deeply moving. A timely reminder of the steep cost paid once before defeating Nazis.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 22, 2017

Many reviewers have, quite rightly, noted that the story of the Dunkirk evacuation is one not well-known to most Americans. It is a story we should know, however: Dunkirk was a pivotal point in World War II. Had the British troops been forced to surrender, as was a real possibility, the trajectory of the war would have been very different indeed.

It is a story about the decisions we make, a story about survival during the onslaught of fascism, and a story about how the fate of nations can turn on the commitment of average people to being extraordinary when freedom demands it.

Anyway. Go see it.

Now, of course, I have to talk about Tom Hardy for a moment.

That said: He can do more with his eyes than actors who draw $5M+ salaries can do with their whole bodies, costuming, props, and dialogue.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 22, 2017

He is absolutely the greatest actor of our generation.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 22, 2017

[Content Note: Video autoplays at link] If you'd like to see a neat interview with Tom Hardy, talking about working in the spitfire, the acting of his Dunkirk role, and working with Chris Nolan, here you go.