DUNKIRK: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON WAR A f i l m r e v i e w b y E l l a M a y H o
PHOTO: A Dunkirk stand promoting the movie in Hong Kong. The film opened in the city on July 20, 2017.
Dunkirk( 2017) is a film directed by Christopher Nolan, that particularly deals with the plight of soldiers and other Allied troops during the evacuation of Dunkirk, France, in World War II. Starting on May 10, 1940, Hitler’ s army attacked and invaded Belgium and France, rapidly overrunning these countries and cornering a large number of Allied troops in Dunkirk— troops that needed to be evacuated immediately. Between 26 May and 4 June 1940, more than 300,00 British and France soldiers were evacuated, specifically from the surrounding beaches of Dunkirk by a fleet of warships by the Royal Navy and civilian sailors’ boats. Throughout the film, the only way out for the British soldiers to head back home safely is by sea. The Germans, however, have battle superiority in the air— bombing the British ships and the boats, causing not only great chaos for the army as a whole but also extreme anxiety and hardships for each vulnerable individual.
If you have seen Inception( 2010) or The Dark Knight trilogy( 2005-2012), then you should probably know how Nolan came to be one of the most popular and masterful filmmakers of the 21st century, considering that he has received many positive reviews and huge commercial successes for many of his films. He is able to create them with a unique sense of style and directing. Dunkirk, based on a true story, is Nolan’ s take on the event in a deeper way; the subjectivity and survival aspect of the characters are addressed with genuine intensity. He revealed in an interview with Film4,“ I wanted to address the story very much in the language of suspense. That’ s the most visual language there is”, as it is important to showcase human experiences in a way that would not only catch the viewers’ attention but also contribute to some sort of authenticity.
The main protagonist Tommy, is played by no other than Finn Whitehead— an English actor who is a native of London. If you didn’ t know, Dunkirk is( surprisingly) his first actual major role. Another actor in the film, whom you may or may not heard of, is One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles, who plays a young soldier
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