Dunkirk: An anti-war paradox of time.

There are no direct spoilers ahead.
Let’s just start this off by saying that Dunkirk is by far the best Christopher Nolan has ever directed. Every aspect of the film is well thought out and particular. Above all else, I was taken by the reality of it — for years I have been a fan of war films, and specifically WWII, and this one had a different take on things. Finally (my friends said it was similar to the German film Das Boot which I am yet to watch), a film that does not romanticize war, it’s not about different people from a different time/place, it looks (technically, in terms of how it was shot) too real, no tricks to add a vintage feel, no bullshit. It looks too fresh, too modern (which bothered me a bit at the beginning but..) it made the characters a lot more accessible and just generally relate-able. I was taken by the focus on the heroism of the lay/normal man (represented by Mark Rylance) over the patriotism of soldiers (not only but in a lot of ways represented by Cillian Murphy) we are all fed up with and the sincerity of the survival instincts, how it pushes people (including soldiers in that case) to abandon all acceptable moral codes, to shift their moral compasses to basic instinct and for that to make perfect sense to them at least for a second there. It makes you think, if you’re left to see the horrors of inevitable doom for a few days and possible months/years, how different would you be, how primal. Honour and kindness coming out of “normal” people unlike the usual superhuman lens we are used to see soldier through was, I think, what the film was about.
Oh, and what words of appreciation would be enough for that soundtrack? This is by far the best soundtrack of Hans Zimmer’s career; so relevant, so specific to the film and it’s a character of its own. It took Nolan’s obsession with time to a whole new level, as all through the film you are painfully aware of the passing of time and the urgency of every move, the anxiety and the fear with the literal “Tik-Tok” sound in the background. You are, simultaneously, stuck in time through the visuals and running out of it through the soundtrack, and that paradox keeps you at the edge of your seat and plugs you into the characters’ minds.
Every single shot is a work of precise art; not a single random camera movement. The film has almost no dialogue which says a lot in and off itself; and when there is no dialogue the film asks so much more from its cast. Both those well-known faces and those we were just introduced to today were exceptional to say the least. Their ability to convey emotion through minimal dialogue on one hand, and extreme movement on the other was surprising. I cannot remember the last time I watched a film that had a more perfect cast. Each single one of them is a talent to be reckoned with. There is a great future ahead of, hopefully, all the new faces. I am in so much awe of their talents and how they managed to hold their own opposite the rest of the high acclaimed names. Last but not least, again Nolan’s obsession with time made up for great scenes, where he managed — masterfully — to position you in different timelines. The time-jumps are usually a hit or miss type of deal, so it is a hell of a signature move.
The film is a complete masterpiece, a time paradox that probably guarantees an Oscar win for Zimmer and for sound-editing, and possibly at least a nomination for direction and cinematography , and an elaborate introduction to the next generation of actors. We will definitely be seeing a lot more of them.
