I had finished watching Dunkirk in the nearest theater today, I walked out of the theater and started to walk towards home. Suddenly, I heard an airplane's roaring sound coming from right above my head. My heart started pounding, my breathing increased and for a couple seconds I thought I was gonna die. But, I looked up and realized its a normal airplane and not a German fighter jet. I was still immersed in the feeling the movie had given me. I felt very lucky and after I had a feeling of surviving a great war after watching Dunkirk.

 My spidey-sense say this film is gonna win the Academy Award for The Best Picture next year. This post is gonna be about the movie Dunkirk and why you should stop doing what ever you are doing right now and run to your nearest cinema theater to watch this masterpiece.

Dunkirk got released in India today (21-July-17). I had booked my ticket in the best seat yesterday. Because, It a film by Christopher Nolan. If Christopher Nolan tells me to jump off the Mount Everest, I would jump without asking any questions. Because, this man is a GOD! I have watched hundreds of 3D films. But, I have never experienced something like this. Its cinema going right into your veins. I'll probably gonna need a week more to get out of the Dunkirk hangover. This is why I love this art, Dunkirk gave me one more reason to keep doing what I am doing. I'll try my best to not spoil anything for you, and keep the suspense. 

The Experience:

Original Dunkirk Leaflet from 1940

As soon as the movie starts you'll hear gun shots firing from every where. There is no time to escape, you will feel like hiding behind your seats. Explosions everywhere. The movie doesn't reveal names of all the characters. This film is not about what happens to the characters, is about what happens to you. You feel like you are also inside the film. Very few films have done this feat. The last film I had watched which had given me the same feeling was Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan", especially the starting Normandy war scene. 

It as though feels like Nolan pushes you in the middle of an intense war. This is not a movie you want to watch at home. The experience of watching it in the Cinema theater is mind blowing. We don't know who the character are, we don't know if they are enemies, we are just waiting for the rescue while surviving the island. As they showed in the trailer " Hope is a weapon".

Its almost a Silent film:

You can still watch this film if you don't understand a word of English. Very less amount of dialog has been used here. In cinema there's an old saying "Show not Tell", this has been taken seriously by Nolan. You'll definitely understand everything. Because, again this movie is an experience. 

 If you have a friend who doesn't speak English this is the film you can take him to. 

The Cast: 

Nolan has the ability to find needle in haystacks. He's done it many times in Dark Knight Trilogy. Harry was amazing. Most of the cast was 19 or 20 years old, but they all went in-sync with the movie. When Tom Hardy entered the scene everyone in the theater went crazy. Whistling, screaming and clapping with joy. He plays one of the major roles in the movie. Let's keep that also a secret, so that you go and watch it yourself. The casting is 90% of directing. If the cast is right, the movies takes shape automatically. Its amazing how they all expressed fear and tension so authentically. Nolan must have created real life war situations to get their acting right. He has already done it in the Interstellar.

 

The Dogfights:

The inside of the cockpit experience is amazing. You can really feel the struggle of the fighter pilots during the battle. German aircraft, those blood thirsty birds of steel. The sound they make when they attack is so intense you'll be on your toes. It is considered to be the most challenging scenes ever shot. I mean they invented a new IMAX camera specially to shoot these scenes, isn't that something. The relief you get when the enemy aircraft gets destroyed is very real.

 The relief you get when the enemy aircraft gets destroyed is very real.

Nolan's signature style with a twist:

If you are a cinema-addict like me, you might know there is a style that Nolan has in his film making. His inter-cutting between the scenes is considered to be his signature. But, this time there's a twist in the inter-cutting style. This is a new improvement in Nolan's film making. What is this new twist? We'll I'll only say one word, its "time". 

When you go and watch the film you will understand. 

On closing, this movie gave me hope on humanity. This is an Anti-war movie which was necessary in the world we live in right now. It shows the harsh realities of war and what the soldiers families go though. By looking at the situations in my country India, this movie will probably change a lot of perspectives on war. Which is exactly the thing countries like mine need. 

War is not an answer.

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