To be uncomfortable with the film Oppenheimer?

[LKM23]

I haven't seen the film, I'm sure it's a brilliant thriller and will be a Blockbuster hit. I don't think I'll watch it though, it makes my feel really uncomfortable.

It feels like a man who at the end of the day killed thousands of people and damaged millions is being celebrated and turned into a hero.

I lived in Japan for 10 years in my twenties. I visited both Hiroshima and Nagasaki and spent a lot of time with people both directly and indirectly affected by the dropping of the bombs. Those scars are real and still there and will be for a very very long time. It changed Japan and the people who live there forever and at the end of the day I think he was an awful person.

AIBU?

A quick google suggests it’s not a film that makes him into a hero at all.

it covers the era where he becomes an advocate against nuclear development.

Well lovely that's why I've been very careful to let everyone know I'm no expert and have not seen the film, just wanted opinions 🤷‍♀️

I suppose you could say the same about any film/media made about any war/conflict/tragedy?

But if you knew even the slightest bit of info about him you would know that’s what happened in real life

I've seen the trailer and he certainly doesn't appear as a hero in that!

it's very much from the Americans POV.

How do you know this?

The film is over 3 hours long. From what I understand the reason is to explain the context & lead up.

It's purported to be a hard watch. Without giving a spoiler, there's a particular moment which has been described as viscerally impacting. I am as confident as I can, without having yet seen it, that Oppenheimer is not being celebrated & this is not a gung-ho celebration of Allied victory.

Isn't the whole point of Oppenheimer to show how much he regretted being involved and isn't Barbie in effect an antiBarbie girl empowerment film? I am failing to see why they would be a problem.

It feels like a man who at the end of the day killed thousands of people and damaged millions is being celebrated and turned into a hero.

I think you are confusing Oppenheimer with Lyndon B Johnson.

Oppenheimer was trying to create a clean source of limitless energy- and he did nuclear energy is down to him and his team.

The US military hijacked his invention and weaponised it. They did this in collaboration with the U.K. and Canada. The Germans (NAZIs) and Russians were also working on weaponsing his invention as well. A spy leaked the info to the Russians and then they had nuclear bombs too. It was the start of the arms race.

Oppenheimer never wanted to make a bomb. He was devastated by how his science was then abused to kill millions of innocents.

"I know nothing about this film and I'm not going to look into it or watch it but I think it's representing him as a hero based on no knowledge at all, so I judge it to be A Bad Thing."

Can you imagine judging other stuff by this lack of information, OP? Why not wait to read reviews at the very least before writing something off?

I'm uncomfortable with the way it's being advertised, I feel that is glorifying him. Whether the film does or not I don't know but yes from what I've seen so far I think I might find it unpalatable which is why I'm asking 🤷‍♀️

I'm no expert and have not seen the film, just wanted opinions

Opinions on what?

You don't have to be an expert - most of us aren't either. But you can read some factual research and be a little more informed.

You've made an assumption based on no knowledge or facts - why start a thread on that basis?

I have a clever suggestion.....don't watch it 😉

What do you mean the way it’s advertised? The trailer?

Yes, exactly.

It's more like a character study than glorifying him. It portrays him as a very troubled, haunted, complicated person, which I'm sure he was. He's certainly not the hero.

I think it's important to see him as a human, not a monster or ghoul. It's too easy to distance humanity from the decisions made if you see him as some other being. Humans do terrible, awful things. Normal humans who live normal lives, with families and friends. Even Hitler liked kids and art and dogs. I think it's important to tell these sorts of stories, to remind ourselves how easy it is for a normal man to do something monstrous. Stops us repeating the same mistakes because it makes it harder to pretend we wouldn't be capable of them under the right set of circumstances.

Sorry US presidents not my strong suit, just realised it was Harry Truman not Johnson that ordered the bombing of Japan.

I'm uncomfortable with the way it's being advertised, I feel that is glorifying him.

This is ridiculous.

What trailer are you watching? It's actually quite boring & certainly is not glorifying him.

I feel like you're making stuff up OP

Christopher Nolan is British?

Max Hastings in his review in last Saturday's Times made the point that more than 300,000 people were killed in Tokyo, ie many more than ended up dead after both atomic bombs, and Japan still had no intention of surrendering.

War is nasty but I'm actually tempted to see it after reading his review. It seems to explore the conflicts, both personal and political.

Impressive back pedaling there op.

The trailer doesn’t glorify it at all. You can tell from the trailer it’s a story of huge complexity and regret.

As others have said, read some factual books/sources.

I don't do whataboutery hon

You must be bored.....