"They Can't Speak": Oppenheimer Screening Reactions Detailed, Audiences Left With "Element Of Fear" Per Nolan

Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan describes the effect that his upcoming historical epic is having on audiences during early screenings, with some people having a strong emotional reaction. Based on the life and career of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, Nolan's upcoming film chronicles the creation of the first atomic bomb during the Second World War. With its R rating and its exploration of a real person's life, the film is already shaping up to be quite a departure from Nolan's previous movies.

Ahead of the Oppenheimer release date next month, Nolan talks about how early screenings of the film are going in a recent interview with Wired. The director reveals that there has been a particularly strong response so far, both in terms of the fear the film has inspired but also in terms of the audiences' relationship to the characters. Check out Nolan's full comment below:

“Some people leave the movie absolutely devastated. 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.”

How Oppenheimer Could Be Different From Past Nolan Movies

Aside from earlier films like Memento and Insomnia, Nolan has mostly been focused for the last 20 years on making big-budget blockbuster fare. The films often feature a lot of action and also frequently incorporate elements of science-fiction. Oppenheimer, while boasting a big budget, doesn't seem like a film that will feature either of these elements.

Instead, Nolan will seemingly dig into character like he never has before, exploring one man's life under a microscope as it relates to one of the most dangerous creations in all of human history. If audiences are indeed leaving screenings feeling fearful, the movie could be tapping into ideas regarding humanity's destruction in a thoughtful and serious way. This unique approach hasn't just proven affecting for general audiences but for historian and Oppenheimer biographer Kai Bird as well, whose recent review of Oppenheimer suggests that the film could actually start a national conversation about issues relating to technology and science.

Oppenheimer is also rated R, Nolan's first film to earn the rating since 2002's Insomnia. This means that the film could dig into the deeper and darker aspects of its title character's life and won't shy away from the ugly details that often can't be included in films with his usual PG-13 rating. Many questions remain about Oppenheimer, but Nolan's latest update is sure to only increase the level of anticipation for his next movie.

Source: Wired

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