Samuel introduced our Summer of Cinema in the last post, and I’m here to review two more of our now-favorite films. Though I’ve been a Chris Nolan fan for years (like every other American), Samuel has missed out on two of his best. We rectified that by watching The Prestige and Tenet.
Tenet (2020 : 2h 30m)
PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references and brief strong language Directed by Christopher Nolan Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki
Tenet was the first movie I saw in theaters after the Covid-19 shutdowns, and I was immediately captivated by it. Though the plot felt convoluted the first time, my subsequent viewings helped me understand that beneath the surface of beautiful sets and time inverting shenanigans lay a beautiful story of sacrifice, love, and redemption. More than that, Tenet is a film which asks us to evaluate what we are capable of. In the words of Robert Pattinson’s character, “What’s happened happened. Which is an expression of faith in the mechanics of the universe. It’s not an excuse to do nothing.”
Though it relies on some pretty crazy plot points, Tenet asks us to move past the attitude of “Well, what can you do?” latent in our present age. As Kierkegaard teaches us, the age of reflection is characterized by apathy and acceptance; the age of revolution is characterized by courage and the will to act. The Protagonist and the Tenet organization are willing to die for the salvation of the world from those who wish to do it harm.
Kenneth Branagh and Michael Caine round out a brilliant cast with a great score and world-class effects. Tenet is worth the time spent watching it because it inspires us to fight for causes greater than ourselves which we believe in. We don’t have to chalk everything up to impersonal forces controlling our lives; we have the power to do something.
The Prestige (2006 : 2h 10m)
PG-13 for violence and disturbing images Directed by Christopher Nolan Starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson
The Prestige is rightly lauded as one of the greatest movies ever made; it shows the spiraling damage of addiction, of deception, and the importance of trust. The story is told from the perspective of Christian Bale’s character reading Hugh Jackman’s personal diary in his cell while he awaits his punishment for murder. We jump back to various points in both characters’ pasts over the course of the film as we witness their rivalry spiral into hatred, adultery, and murder.
The plot of The Prestige is more straightforward than Tenet, but there’s plenty here for us to learn. David Bowie’s Nikola Tesla summarizes it best: “Go home. I recognize an obsession when I see one. Nothing good can come of it.” Put in the hands of a more virtuous man, Tesla’s obsessions revolutionized the world; our own interests and passions are powerful tools for accomplishing great things, but those who pursue only their own ends (rather than in service to a higher good) end up destroying themselves. Though he doesn’t make the distinction in the movie, we learn Tesla is correct: obsessions in pursuit of personal glory and revenge result in death, but obsessions in pursuit of the good can actually produce reconciliation as it moves the world one step closer to greatness.
The Prestige is a wild ride and a captivating story. It helps us see the power of dedication and the destructive power of self-aggrandizing purposes but through a story which never moralizes and remains a mainstay of film construction even twenty years after its premiere.
now this is a W post