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Christopher Nolan

Dual: Cold-Hearted or Caregiver?

May 9, 2022 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Directed by Riley Stearns, Dual is a more thoughtful piece that one might expect. On paper, this satirical sci-fi seems like another opportunity for rising star Karen Gillan to showcase her immense talent as a physical performer, especially in the film’s climactic battle to the death. But, in actuality, Stearns uses the film as an opportunity to look at what makes us human and, more importantly, why life is worth living.

Set in a world where cloning is not only reality but common practice, Dual suggests that the best use of this technology is to help continue on one’s life for their loved ones in the case of terminal illness. After all, why bother enduring the suffering of losing a loved one when you can simply make a new one? Once the original person passes away, the clone simply steps into their life and takes it on as their own. This is certainly the case for Sarah (Karen Gillan), a young married woman who discovers that she is suffering from a terminal illness. After the cloning process is complete, Sarah awaits her own death by training her clone (called ‘Sarah’s Double’, temporarily) about her life, explaining her interests and allowing her husband to accept her copy in her place.

However, problems arise when Sarah discovers that her illness has miraculously disappeared. In these cases, the government mandates a fight to the death between original and copy in order to determine who will take on the person’s life as their own.  (In this way, the title becomes significant as it references both Sarah’s two copies and their final ‘duel’.) With the battle approaching, Sarah seeks out the help of Trent (Aaron Paul), a personal trainer who she enlists to coach her on the fine art of taking the life of another.

In many ways, this is a fascinating use of an old science-fiction trope. Many times before, we have seen the complications when one clones themselves. From Multiplicity to Nolan’s The Prestige, we can’t seem to stop thinking about improving our lives by replicating ourselves. In the case of Dual, however, Stearns uses the cloning trope to wrestle with what gives us life in the midst of our mundane existence. With an intriguing concept and sharp script, Stearns acknowledges the fact that the incredible value of human life, even as we allow ourselves to forget what it is.

Amazingly, despite their upcoming fight to live, neither Sarah nor her double seem particularly passionate about the very life that they’re fighting for. Marital expectations, phone calls with mother and the drudgery of everyday life seem to have sucked all of the enjoyment out of the experience for both women. As such, there seems to be a general sense that the banality of life has emptied it of any sense of joy. With each passing day, their relationships that have been left on the cold hard floor of practicality are increasingly revealed to lack passion and, most of all, love. 

What’s more, as the original Sarah trains feverishly, so too does she have a part of her soul stripped away. Through field trips to the morgue and Clockwork Orange-level desensitivity training, her time with Trent is specifically designed to numb her to any sort of connection to humanity. To Trent, people have no soul worth valuing. Only matter to be disposed of. For him, the key to survival lies in viewing humanity is little more than bags of meat.

Charles Darwin would be proud.

Although, as moments of compassion and care for her clone begin to arise, the value of the other seems to revive Sarah’s inner spark. Suddenly, Sarah begins remember that there’s something amazing and mystical about creating life, even in the midst of its daily drudgery. Although the driest aspects of life can be draining, the ability to care for one another make it worthwhile. 

While the film could benefit by allowing some of Gillan’s natural charm to break through into her character, Dual’s conversations about life and purpose nevertheless manage to intrigue. Although the tone is surprisingly quiet (especially one building up to a final confrontation), Stearns clearly wants his viewer to engage the film’s ideas as opposed to any grand action set pieces. But that unique tone and vision is what makes Dual worth fighting for.

Dual is now available in theatres.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Christopher Nolan, Dual, Karen Gillan, Riley Stearns, SciFi

7.01 Running It Back in TENET

October 16, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

We’re so excited to be back with the first episode of our 7th season (or is it the 7th episode of our 1st season?) as we talk about Christopher Nolan’s latest thriller, TENET which tells the story of The Protagonist (John David Washington), a time-bending secret agent charged with stopping a futuristic terrorist from destroying the universe.

With the theatrical system in shambles due to the pandemic, TENET was expected to ‘save the box office’ yet it hasn’t quite lived up to the hype financially. Is it really due to concerns over safety? Or was it merely the wrong film at the wrong time? In this 1on1, we’re thrilled to have back the host of Face2FaceLive.ca David Peck to talk about that issue as well as debate whether or not we think Nolan’s film believes in free will.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.01 TenetDownload

Note: For those interested in the link to Alissa Wilkinson’s Vox article regarding the Sator Square, click here.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Podcast Tagged With: box office, Christopher Nolan, covid, Elizabeth Debicki, John David Washington, Pandemic, Robert Pattinson, Tenet

Tenet: I am the [Protagonist] of My Fate

August 28, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

It takes a lot for a director to become a brand unto themselves.

Having made some of the biggest blockbusters of the last two decades, writer/director Christopher Nolan continues to create ambitious worlds that also look to maintain depth to their stories. With the release of his latest epic adventure Tenet, Nolan offers all of the originality and spectacle that fans of his are looking for in their films. 

As the world [slowly] moves back to the multiplex after the global pandemic, the scope of Tenet alone earns the right to be the first major blockbuster to be seen in cinemas. Though the cast does a solid job embracing the script (especially villain Kenneth Branaugh, who positively snarls onscreen), what audiences will appreciate most are the film’s excellently orchestrated set pieces. Rumoured to have used less than 300 digital effects—most blockbusters today usually use thousands per film—Tenet is a visual treat that dazzles the eye. Through his use of inverted time, Nolan creates something so unique that it will demand repeat viewings. Though the narrative is incredibly high concept, it also moves and operates well within the rules for the world that it creates (which is vital for any film about time travel). While admittedly the dialogue can suffer at times due to muffled sound and an overpowering soundtrack (think Bane from Dark Knight Rises), the film always demands your attention and is an entertaining ride from start to finish (and back to start again).

Tenet follows an unnamed secret agent (John David Washington) who is literally referred to as ‘the Protagonist’. After thwarting a terrorist bombing, The Protagonist is enlisted by the Tenet organization, a covert government group committed to stopping World War III. During his training, he learns that fragments from the future have been discovered by terrorists in the present, allowing them to create inverted time loops which threaten to unravel the fabric of all reality. Teaming up with his new partner, Neil (Robert Pattinson), The Protagonist sets off on a mission to retrieve the fragments in order to save the both the present world and time itself.

Though Tenet is drawing comparisons to Nolan’s other mind-bending original, Inception, in truth the film is a natural progression for him over the course of his career. From Memento to Interstellar, Nolan has always been interested in the way that we perceive time and its impact on how we understand the world. (In fact, through its fractured narrative and varying portrayals of time, even his historical WWI epic Dunkirk played with this notion as well.) In Tenet though, Nolan really dives into the concept of time looping and its effect on the fate of mankind. Though he tells his story in a linear manner, there is enough interplay backwards and forwards to bend minds (and, yes, cause some confusion at times).

Like Nolan’s boldest projects, Tenet is also rooted deeply in philosophy. Echoing projects like Interstellar and Batman Begins, he uses this film as an opportunity to explore man’s role in the universe. Initially locked in his own perceptions of reality, Tenet’s Protagonist is a man who realizes that he needs to change the way he understands the world in order to have an impact upon it. His experience with the Tenet Organization not only loosens the underpinnings of his knowledge of reality but forces him to re-examine what can ultimately be changed, even when it has ‘already happened’. [Warning: Minor Spoilers ahead] In this regard, it’s interesting that the film attempts to bring the element of faith as The Protagonist moves forward within his timeline. Despite the fact that what ‘is’ remains ultimately unchangeable, there’s a certain element of hope in the future that Nolan clings to in this film. However, instead of having confidence in some greater power, The Protagonist is challenged to put his faith in the physical realm. (“Have faith in the natural order,” Pattinson’s Neil reminds.) [Minor Spoilers End] 

Interestingly, Nolan appears to have a sense of hope in the linear nature of time. Whereas Memento spoke of clinging to the past, Tenet leans into the idea that new perspectives help provide light in the future. Though the fate of the world may be predetermined, Nolan emphasizes the importance of the individual and their actions in what is to be. (In this way, while never quoted directly, the film almost feels like an homage to Henley’s famed poem Invictus which says, “It matters not how straight the gate… I am the captain of my fate. I am the master of my soul.”) As a result, Tenet argues that, while unchangeable, the role of The Protagonist continues to matter due to the fact that it remains unknown to them.

In the end, Tenet serves as a suitable next chapter in Nolan’s ever-growing catalogue of complex puzzles that both satisfy the eyes and challenge the mind. Through his use of linear time looping, the famed writer/director wants desperately to explore not just the nature of the universe but man’s place and responsibilities within it. More importantly though, even if one has no interest in exploring the complex philosophy that holds the film together, Tenet’s stunning visuals and action-heavy story should also thoroughly entertain audiences as well.

Especially when it’s seen in a theatre.

Tenet is in Canadian theatres now and premieres in US markets on September 4th, 2020. 

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Christopher Nolan, Elizabeth Debicki, John David Washington, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine, Robert Pattinson, Tenet

Tenet: Christopher Nolan is Back (and Backwards)

August 26, 2020 by Jason Thai Leave a Comment

The [only?] blockbuster of the summer is finally here. 

In Christopher Nolan’s next hit film, Tenet, the director brings us another trippy, mind-blowing Inception-style movie. Tenet stars John David Washington as “The Protagonist” (which is not subtle at all), a special agent recruited into the mysterious Tenet organization. Tenet’s goal is to prevent World War III through a time-disrupting apocalypse that would end all life (and all time). Featuring mind-blowing special effects, Tenet uses time travel in a way that has never been explored on the big screen before. (In fact, it’s not time travel at all… It’s inversion!)

[Caution: Spoilers] Let’s breakdown Tenet‘s method of “time travel”, easily Nolan’s most confusing plot device within the movie (like Inception‘s wild dream sequences). In Tenet, time travel is actually the ability to move something (or someone) through time inversely. By doing so, one is able to move backwards and reverse time, while the entire world is moving forward around them. By doing so, the film explores time uniquely through the theory of determinism, a philosophy that all events all actions are set already. For Nolan, time is non-linear. It’s a circle that exists in a loop. In Tenet, the past, present and future all exist at the same time and interact with each other. This idea once again interacts with determination theory, by arguing that events are set and the idea of freewill both is [and isn’t] real. As Neil says multiple times in the film, “It happened.” Tenet believes that time is fixed and unchangeable. (Incidentally, this idea should have been fairly obvious in hindsight considering that the film is called Tenet, which means a belief or philosophy, referencing the determinism. What’s more, the title is also a palindrome, symbolic of time’s never-ending loop within the film.) [Spoilers End] 

Personally, I loved Tenet’s use of “time travel” in this movie. Nolan is able to cleverly tell a story that was non-linear, able to loop and connect the story with the forward timeline with its inverse as well. Without question, this is no easy task to do as a story. Very rarely do you see paradox-free time travel, and it’s amazing how the story interacts with the other fragments in time. Fans of Nolan’s Inception will appreciate that the action was incredible. Watching people fight in normal time against someone going in the inverse is trippy and mesmerising, featuring bullets that fly into guns, people that seem to fly and even coming back from the dead. Incredibly exciting from start to finish, the film really keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Overall, Tenet is a must-see movie. Not only is Christopher Nolan back, but this is also a strong film to return us to theatres. As bizarre as it is beautiful, this action film is backed by one of the cleverest time travel stories that you’ll ever see.

Tenet is available in Canadian theatres now and opens in the US on September 4th, 2020.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Christopher Nolan, John David Washington, Michael Caine, Robert Pattinson, Tenet, time travel

3.27 Surviving DUNKIRK

August 22, 2017 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/3.27-Dunkirk.mp3

This week, Steve welcomes podcaster David Peck (Face2Face) and ScreenFish’er Julie Levac to talk about Dunkirk, Nolan’s latest epic that’s scoring with critics and at the box office.  Emphasizing visuals and sound over dialogs is a new creative step for Nolan and the film benefits from his willingness to step out of his comfort zone.  Still, is the film is a grim look at war or a more hopeful look at survival in tragedy?  Does it emphasize the value of community or is the individual action most important?  All this and more, this week on ScreenFish.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

3.27 Dunkirk

Thanks David and Julie for coming on the show!

Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Dunkirk, Harry Styles, Oscars, Tom Hardy, war, WWII

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