I did not want to see Dunkirk for a number of reasons. First, Christopher Nolan may be a cinematic genius but life is short and he likes a lengthy running time. Second, I have no interest in watching the glorification of war or human pain. Finally, I watched a lot of war films as a child due to my Nan controlling the viewing schedule. I have had my fill.
The beloved wanted to go and with a running time of 1 hour 46 minutes I agreed on the basis that Kenneth Branagh was in it. I have a theory about Branagh. He found his sense of humour around 2000 and since then his projects are more varied and usually warrant attention.
I went with trepidation but I’m glad I did. It is not gratuitous which was my biggest fear. It’s human. You can stand in the shoes of every character and know who they are. Some might be drawn with broader strokes than others but you understand them. It is almost unbearably tense. These men had to wait for rescue with diminishing hope while utterly vulnerable to the German forces and the film brings the horror of their situation home to you.
The cast are brilliant and it is amazing to look at but my money come award season is that it will pick up all the awards for sound editing. It’s the noise of the thing that will stay with you.
Go see it and be awed, not by the film, but what these men went through, why they did and the effort that was made to get them home. And as always, remember those who lost their lives.