The film is about a 12-year-old girl who is dealing with puberty and her young father’s upcoming marriage to a girlfriend as she meets a mysterious man who is trying to find his family. It is a film that explores a young woman coming of age as she lives in North Kent in near-poverty though her father has found a toad that can produce slime that would unleash psychedelics. Still, this young girl in Bailey (Nykiya Adams) can do things for herself in her town while is also becoming aware that she is growing up. Andrea Arnold’s screenplay is straightforward in its narrative, yet it is more about this young woman who would meet this strange man named Bird (Franz Rogowski) who has arrived at North Kent by foot with a backpack and wearing a dress where he is trying to find his family. The script would play into Bailey dealing with her father Bug (Barry Keoghan) getting married to a woman whom he had begun a relationship with a few months ago as she has a daughter of her own. Even as she is going through her own growing pains as well as visiting her mother Peyton (Jasmine Jobson) and her young half-siblings who live in a home with her abusive boyfriend Skate (James Nelson-Joyce).
Arnold’s direction is entrancing in her approach to realism in the locations she shoots as well as flirting with elements of magical realism that plays a key role in the film’s third act. Shot on various locations in the Kent area including Gravesend, Dartford, Ashford, and Bean, Arnold’s direction does emphasize wide and medium shots to get a scope of the locations of where the characters are in. Notably in scenes with fields, canals, and areas involving nature as it plays into this sense of intrigue that Bailey encounters. Arnold also uses close-ups including extreme close-ups to play into Bailey’s own emotions in her reactions to situations and the people around her. Arnold would also use some unique tracking and long shots for scenes in which Bailey or Bug are riding a motorized scooter somewhere in North Kent. The direction also has Arnold keep things realistic where the locations are key to the story whether it is a building that is decayed or the suburbs where everything in the latter feels structured and clean.
Arnold’s flirtation with magical realism does not come into play until its third act when Bailey visits her half-siblings with Bug as she asks her older half-brother Hunter (Jason Buda) to find Skate and attack him since Hunter is part of a vigilante gang. It is where Bailey and Bird, along with Bailey’s young half-siblings, take go to the beach while they would meet a man (Jason Williamson) whom Bird believes is his father. It is a key moment where in a conventional film, there would be intense melodrama, but Arnold would restrain things as it play into two men who might be connected as they would talk and rationalize things. Arnold’s approach to magical realism would come to the film’s climax as well as the ending as it plays into Bailey’s own realization about herself and the new family she is going to be in with her father, Hunter, Bug’s girlfriend, and her daughter. The film’s ending is another brush with magical realism as it does play into this young woman coming of age as well as meeting this man who is trying to find himself. Overall, Arnold crafts an evocative and touching film where a young girl meets a mysterious man where they both go on a journey of self-discovery in North Kent.
Cinematographer Robbie Ryan does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its naturalistic look for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as the usage of smartphones for scenes that Bailey uses to capture nature and things around her. Editor Joe Bini does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few jump-cuts to play into the energy in some of the tracking shots. Production designer Maxine Carlier, along with set decorator Jo Berglund plus art directors Lili Lea Abraham and Kate Stamp, does brilliant work with the look of the decayed apartment home that Bailey lives with Bug and Hunter as well as the home that Peyton lives in. Costume designer Alex Bovaird does nice work with the costumes as it is casual with some style in what Bug wears that include track suits and baseball caps that plays into his love for hip-hop.
Hair/makeup supervisor Giada Venturini and prosthetics designer Suzi Battersby does amazing work with the look of some prosthetics that would be a key factor in the film’s third act. Visual effects supervisor Robin Aristorenas does terrific work with the visual effects as it also plays into elements of the film’s third function as it relates to the idea of magical realism. The sound work of Nicolas Becker is superb in the way sound is captured on location as well as the way certain things sound from afar and up-close. The film’s music by Burial is wonderful for its low-key yet throbbing electronic score with elements of ambient pieces that play into the drama. Music supervisor Simon Astall provides a fun mixture of music ranging from hip-hop, indie, and Brit-pop in acts like Fontaines D.C., the Verve, Blur, Sleaford Mods, Rednex, and Coldplay.
The film’s casting by Lucy Pardee is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Jason Williamson as a man who might know Bird, Joanne Matthews as that man’s girlfriend, Andrew Richard Bryant and Kirsty J. Curtis as the parents of Hunter’s girlfriend Moon, Frankie Box as Bug’s fiancée Kayleigh whom Bailey is not fond of at first until she comes to her about her first period, Jasmine Jobson as Bailey’s mother Peyton who is in abusive and tumultuous relationship with her current boyfriend, James Nelson-Joyce as Peyton’s abusive boyfriend Skate who hates Bailey and treats Peyton’s kids terribly, and Jason Buda in a superb performance as Bailey’s older half-brother Hunter who is part of a vigilante gang as he has become estranged from his girlfriend because of her parents. Barry Keoghan is brilliant as Bailey and Hunter’s young father Bug as a man who found a toad that he believe would make him money as he has also decided to get married as Keoghan brings a sensitivity to a man that does not mean to be neglectful. Still, he does care about his children as he does prove that he is willing to show his love towards them despite his own faults.
Franz Rogowski is phenomenal as the titular character as a mysterious man who has backpacked through England as he is in search of his family where he seeks Bailey’s help while he also helps her with her own family issues. Even though there is an odd approach that Rogowski presents the character as he is first seen wearing a dress as he is also full of energy and warmth. Finally, there’s Nykiya Adams in a tremendous performance as Bailey, a 12-year-old girl who is fascinated by nature and her surroundings as she deals with growing pains as well as her own identity with her father becoming distracted with his upcoming wedding. Adams also displays a maturity as a young woman who is also concerned for her younger siblings as well as slowly accepting the way things are as it is a revelatory performance from the newcomer.
Bird is a sensational film by Andrea Arnold that features great performances from Franz Rogowski and Barry Keoghan as well as a major discovery in Nikiya Adams. Along with its ensemble cast, intoxicating visuals, a compelling story of identity and growing up, and a somber music soundtrack from Burial. It is a film that does not play into the conventions of a coming-of-age film in favor of studying a girl’s own journey with a mysterious man as it plays into the two finding themselves. In the end, Bird is a spectacular film by Andrea Arnold.
Andrea Arnold Films: Red Road - Fish Tank - Wuthering Heights (2011 film) - American Honey - Cow (2021 film) - (Featherwood) - The Auteurs #31: Andrea Arnold
© thevoid99 2025
The film revolves around a group of immortal alien figures who arrive on Earth to protect humanity from evil creatures known as Deviants where the group reunite centuries later to deal with return of Deviants but also an event they have to ensure happens. It is a film that is about a family of sorts who all reunite centuries later as they live on Earth for a long time observing and interacting with humanity and civilization as the events of the Blip that lead to the return of half of the population who were wiped out five years before by Thanos suddenly lead to the return of the Deviants. The film’s screenplay does a lot of world building and establishing who the Eternals are yet it unfortunately takes up a lot of time for the narrative to have the entire team reunite but also deal with their own ideological differences, views on humanity, and their mission at hand as they have to serve the Celestial god known as Arishem (voice of David Kaye). The narrative for much of its first act also play into flashbacks into the lives of the Eternals including an event that lead to their break-up as well as other issues following their last encounter with the Deviants.
The titular group of consist of ten individuals each with a special power as they’re lead by their spiritual leader/healer Ajak (Salma Hayek) who is also the bridge between them and the Celestials. There’s also the empathetic Sersi (Gemma Chan) who can manipulate matter through physical contact, Ikaris (Richard Madden) who can fly and shoot cosmic beams with his eyes who is determined to finish his mission, the illusionist Sprite (Lia McHugh) who has the physical appearance of a 12-year old girl, the comical Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) who shoots cosmic beams with his hands as he’s become a Bollywood star, the weapons and technological inventor Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), the deaf Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) who possesses super-speed, mind-manipulator Druig (Barry Keoghan), the strongman Gilgamesh (Don Lee), and the goddess of war in Thena (Angelina Jolie) who can create weapons with her own powers. They all have something to offer but are broken apart by idealistic views on humanity and the decision to not interfere in human conflicts or events under Arishem’s rule. Upon the events of the Blip and the re-emergence of the Deviants, the team struggle to get themselves back on board due to various issues but also the fact that some of them have their own lives and are reluctant to take part in this conflict where the stakes are larger.
Chloe Zhao’s direction is definitely astonishing for the fact that it’s shot on various locations and its emphasis on realism about the evolution of civilization. Shot on various locations such as London, South Dakota, the Canary Islands, and Los Angeles, Zhao does create a film that does take place many centuries where the narrative flashbacks to the age of cavemen, Babylonia, the Incas, and the present world in the aftermath of the Avengers’ war against Thanos. Zhao’s usage of wide and medium shots to establish the locations and the world these characters are in as they interact with the world or observe the world around them. The way Zhao establishes the Eternals and how they impacted civilization early on does showcase moments that do play into their development but Zhao is unable to maintain that same momentum following their break-up as the reunion goes on for a long time.
While there are these moments that do play into the drama with Zhao’s usage of the medium shots and close-ups as it help audiences be engaged by the characters. There are moments where it drags too long for each member to reunite with one another as there’s also a lot of baggage from everyone in the team to deal with. Phastos is man with a son and a husband he loves as he had lost interest in creating new tech following a major historical event while Thena is a woman that is going through serious mental issues and memory loss due to centuries of fighting. For nearly two hours into the film, the two acts serve as not just to establish the team and who they are but also their reunion and the stakes of the mission as it could’ve been trimmed. Even as the third act reveal some revelations on Arishem’s motives as well as why the Deviants were created as it is clunky though there is some amazing action and drama that occur in the film. Overall, Zhao crafts an engaging yet extremely uneven film about a group of immortals trying to save Earth one last time following the return of their old foes.
Cinematographer Ben Davis does brilliant work with the cinematography with its emphasis on natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes along with some low-key lighting for the exterior scenes at night and other stylish lighting including Kingo’s Bollywood film set. Editors Craig Wood and Dylan Tichenor do fine work with the editing as it has some style in the jump-cuts and allowing shots to linger though there’s moments where it does feel too long as the film could’ve trimmed 15 minutes from its running time. Production designers Eve Stewart and Clint Wallace, along with set decorators Pancho Chamorro and Michael Standish plus supervising art director Matthew Gray, do amazing work with the look of the Domo ship interiors as well as Ajak’s home in South Dakota, Gilgamesh and Thena’s home in Australia, Druig’s camp in the Amazons, and Phastos’ home in Chicago. Costume designer Sammy Sheldon does excellent work with the costumes from the casual look of the group in their non-hero suits to the design of the superhero suits they wear upon their arrival on Earth.
Hair/makeup/prosthetics makeup designer Frances Hannon does fantastic work with the look of the characters as it play into the different periods with Thena having a unique look of her own as does Ajak. Special effects supervisor Neil Corbould and visual effects supervisor Stephane Ceretti do incredible work with the look of the Deviants, the exterior of the Domo spaceship, and other effects as the mixture of practical and computerized effects as it is a highlight of the film. Sound designers David Farmer and Addison Teague, along with sound editor Daniel Laurie, do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as some of the sound effects into the powers that the Eternals have. The film’s music by Ramin Djawadi is wonderful for its orchestral-based score as it play into elements of bombast for some of the action and suspenseful scenes along with low-key string-based pieces for the dramatic moments while music supervisor Dave Jordan create a soundtrack that features different array of music that include pop, country, rock, hip-hop, Bollywood-based music, and others that feature contributions from Lizzo, BTS, Skeeter Davis, Foreigner, and Pink Floyd.
The casting by Sarah Finn and Anna Tenney is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Haaz Sleiman as Phastos’ husband Ben, Esai Daniel Cross as Phastos’ and Ben’s son Jack, Zain Al Rafeea as a villager who first meets the Eternals after being saved from a Deviant, Bill Skarsgard as the voice of an evolved Deviant in Kro, and David Kaye as the voice of the Celestial God Arishem. Harish Patel is terrific as Kingo’s manager Karun who films everything for Kingo’s documentary on the Eternals as he provides some humor but also some nice insight on his view on the group. Kit Harrington is superb as Sersi’s boyfriend Dane Whitman who works at the Natural History Museum in London as he is hoping to commit to her.
Lauren Ridloff and Barry Keoghan are excellent in their respective roles as Makkari and Druig with the former being a deaf yet funny Eternal with super-speed as she communicates through sign language while the latter is a sarcastic yet passionate figure with the power to manipulate minds as a way in wanting to stop conflicts in the hope he can save humanity. Brian Tyree Henry and Salma Hayek are brilliant in their respective roles as the technology inventor Phastos and the group leader/healer Ajak as the former being someone who hoped to create things that would help civilization only to retreat after catastrophic events to become a family man while the latter is a spiritual figure who communicates with Arishem where she never questions his motives until the return of the Deviants as she begins to question him as well as having a change of heart about the mission at hand. Don Lee and Angelina Jolie are amazing in their respective role as the super-strongman Gilgamesh and the warrior goddess Thena with the former being a man who is powerful but also someone with a lot of heart and patience in taking of the latter where Jolie displays a woman who is suffering from serious PTSD and weariness while also dealing with memory loss as it relates to her life fighting against Deviants.
Kumail Nanjiani is remarkable as the powerful yet witty Kingo who spent almost a century being a Bollywood film star as he brings a lot of humor but also questions about the mission at hand where he isn’t sure of being involved in something that would break up the team again. Lia McHugh is incredible as Sprite as a master illusionist who can create things yet has the body of a 12-year old girl who can’t age where she laments not being able to grow up while having her own feelings for Ikaris. Richard Madden is marvelous as Ikaris as a Superman-like persona who can fly and shoot cosmic beams with his eyes as a figure who is intent on wanting to finish his mission as well as reunite with his former flame in Sersi in the hope they can stay together after the mission. Finally, there’s Gemma Chan in a phenomenal performance as Sersi as the empath Eternal who can manipulate matter through physical touch while discovering new powers as a way to deal with the Deviants while lamenting over her love for humans and the stakes of the mission itself where she has to take charge in the film’s climax.
Eternals is a stellar yet wildly uneven film from Chloe Zhao. While it features a great ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, a cool music soundtrack, and some amazing action scenes. It is a film that is ambitious yet is hampered by wanting to be both a superhero film and an art film as it never found its balance despite some exciting moments. In the end, Eternals is a good film from Chloe Zhao.
Chloe Zhao Films: Songs My Brothers Taught Me – The Rider - (Nomadland)
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers
Phase Two: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant-Man
Phase Three: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man and the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Spider-Man: Far from Home
Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)
Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)
© thevoid99 2021
Directed by Yann Demange and written by Gregory Burke, ’71 is the story of a British soldier who finds himself separated from his unit during a riot in Belfast, Northern Ireland during the tumultuous period known as the Troubles. The film is a look into the real-life conflict that began in the late 1960s between Britain and IRA as a young man finds himself in the middle of this conflict which was at its most dangerous in 1971. Starring Jack O’Connell, Sean Harris, David Wilmot, Richard Dormer, Paul Anderson, and Charlie Murphy. ’71 is a gripping and intense film from Yann Demange.
The film follows a young soldier who is tasked with other young soldiers to control a situation in Belfast where it turned into a riot as he finds himself all alone when his unit had fled and IRA soldiers trying to find and kill him. It’s a film that explore what happens to a young man who goes head-on into the turmoil between the British and the Irish where the original plan from the former is to help officials arrest those suspected of being involved in the IRA. What happens becomes very chaotic as this young man finds himself lost after seeing a fellow soldier shot in the head who was trying to save him as he goes on the run and hide from the IRA. Gregory Burke’s screenplay explores the plight that this young soldier in Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell) is dealing with as he has to hide while befriending a few locals along the way. Yet, just as he thinks he has found some form of safety. Something bad happens immediately as he has to keep on running and survive while his unit deal with having to find him in Belfast knowing there’s trouble as they’re also dealing with undercover officers who pretend to be IRA soldiers.
Yann Demange’s direction is definitely very intense as it has this sense of immediacy once the event in Belfast come into play. Shot on mainly in Britain, the film doesn’t start off with this air of combat but rather soldiers involved in a boxing match of sorts between soldiers who are in training. Once they’re assigned to Belfast to aid British police officials in arresting suspects, the film has this sense of unease as Hook would visit his younger brother before he goes to Belfast as a reminder that he’s just a young man. Once he’s in Belfast on assignment with his unit that is led by a young lieutenant and a corporal who are there to smooth things and not get into trouble. Chaos ensues as Demange’s direction become intense and immediate with its usage of hand-held cameras for the close-ups and medium shots while the violence is unexpected and unsettling. Especially in the moment where Hook is being beaten by locals as he is trying to be saved by another young soldier only for that man to be shot in the head.
While there are some wide shots, Demange would prefer to maintain that air of intimacy into what Hook is going through as Demange’s close-ups help play into his fear. There are moments in the film that are intense as well as in the suspense as it also show what some of these men in the IRA are up to as some are for a cause with some having their own personal motives. Even the men working undercover have this air of ambiguity as the British lieutenant isn’t sure if he could trust them. The film’s climax is about the rescue for Hook who is also has to fend for himself and protect those who were able to help him despite their cultural and social differences. All of which would play into this conflict that had brought a lot of pain where this young man ponders his role in this conflict. Overall, Demange crafts a visceral and harrowing film about a young British soldier and his encounter with war in 1971 Belfast.
Cinematographer Tat Radcliffe does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key and natural lighting for the scenes in the daytime as well as elements of sepia and lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Chris Wyatt does amazing work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts play into the suspense as well as the action that goes on throughout the film. Production designer Chris Oddy, with set decorator Kate Guyan and supervising art director Nigel Pollock, does fantastic work with the look of the home base of the British unit as well as the pub and houses in Belfast. Costume designer Jane Petrie does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly casual from the look of the locals in the style of the clothes of the early 70s as well as the uniforms of the British soldiers.
Makeup designer Emma Scott does fantastic work with the makeup from the look of Hook with the blood and bruises that he would suffer throughout his body. Visual effects supervisor Simon Hughes does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects for one key sequence in the film as well as a few set dressing for some wide shots of Belfast at night. Sound designer Paul Davies does superb work with the sound that play into the chaos of the riots as well as some of the violent conflict in the film as it has this array of mixes to play into Hook’s perspective as he would encounter all sorts of violence. The film’s music by David Holmes is incredible for its mixture of low-key synthesizers, guitars, and bombastic beats to play into the suspense and sense of terror while music supervisor Dan Rodgers does wonderful work with the soundtrack as it feature some music of the times from Wanda Jackson, Arthur Alexander, Solomon Burke, Lee Hazelwood, Jack Scott, and Butch Moore plus an electronic cut from Aphex Twin.
The casting by Jina Jay is great as it feature some notable small roles from Paul Popplewell as a training corporal, Corey McKinley as an Irish child who is a loyal to the IRA that helps Hook, Harry Verity as Hook’s younger brother Darren, Babou Ceesay as the unit’s corporal, Paul Anderson as an undercover officer in Sgt. Lewis, Barry Keoghan as a teenage member of the IRA in Sean, and Sam Reid in a terrific role as a sympathetic British lieutenant who is trying to ensure the well-being of Hook and other soldiers while questioning the methods of the undercover officers. Killian Scott is superb as an IRA leader in James Quinn who is eager to find Hook and kill for the cause while David Wilmot is fantastic as the senior IRA leader Boyle who goes to the British in dealing with the crazed Quinn.
Richard Dormer and Charlie Murphy are excellent in their respective roles as the father-daughter duo Eamon and Birgid as two people who help the wounded Hook with Murphy as the conflicted woman who had been part of the riot while Dormer is the more understandable man who knows what Hook has to do. Sean Harris is brilliant as Captain Sandy Browning as an undercover officer who is trying to do everything to stop the IRA as he has some very brutal tactics and ideas that make some who are working for him uneasy. Finally, there’s Jack O’Connell in a remarkable performance as Gary Hook as a new recruit for the British army who endures a terrifying experience as he tries to survive as well as deal with the reality of the conflict he’s involved in forcing him to fight for himself as well as face the truth on the war he’s in.
’71 is a phenomenal film from Yann Demange that features an incredible performance from Jack O’Connell. Along with its ensemble cast, gripping action, and a look into the period known from the Troubles from both sides, it’s a film that is intense as well as being very engaging into what was happening in these turbulent times. In the end, ’71 is a spectacular film from Yann Demange.
© thevoid99 2017
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk is a dramatic re-telling of the evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II in which three different stories are happening during the course of the event. Told on land, sea, and the air, the film follows the lives of soldiers, pilots, and people from Britain who try to escape from the Germans in Northern France. Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Mark Rylance. Dunkirk is a gripping and evocative film from Christopher Nolan.
In 1940 at the Northern-French coast of Dunkirk, thousands of British soldiers are trying to flee the country following France’s defeat to the Germans as naval ships are being sunk with many hoping for a miracle. The film is about this major event in World War II in which many British soldiers are stuck on the beaches of Dunkirk as they’re dealing with German warplanes and forces coming into the city as the French try to hold them off with three different things happening all in the span of a week on land, a day on the sea, and an hour on air. Christopher Nolan’s screenplay is presented in a somewhat non-linear narrative where time is distorted as it showcases what is happening as characters from the different storylines don’t interact in the course of the evacuation. These three different storylines are each given a different title based on its setting as they all would intertwine throughout the course of the film as some of these characters in the different stories would meet with one another to provide some multiple perspectives of what is happening.
The first story entitled The Mole refers to the stranded soldiers on land as they’re trying to evacuate as Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh) is watching over the evacuation as he converses Colonel Winnant (James D’Arcy) over what is happening as they believe many of the soldiers will be left behind. Three of these soldiers including Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), Gibson (Aneurin Barnard), and Alex (Harry Styles) struggle to survive as they try to evacuate and endure everything that has been thrown at them. The second story entitled The Sea revolves around what is happening where a mariner in Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance) and his son Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) decides to sail to Dunkirk to save the soldiers with the help of Peter’s friend George (Barry Keoghan) where they would pick-up a shell-shocked soldier (Cillian Murphy). In the third story called The Air, two British pilots in Farrier (Tom Hardy) and Collins (Jack Lowden) fight off against German planes and bombers as the former contends with a malfunction in his fuel gauge.
Nolan’s direction is definitely riveting from start to finish as he doesn’t go for anything that showcase who these characters are before what is happening as it’s more about what is happening in Dunkirk and these soldiers trying to survive. Shot on the actual location at Dunkirk beach in France with some of it shot in Great Britain and the Netherlands with the ship interiors shot in the U.S. Nolan decides to create this sense of immediacy and terror that looms throughout the film as it just keeps going where there is no idea what will happen next. Shot on 65mm film and 65mm IMAX film stocks, Nolan would use the wide shots to capture the vastness of the locations including the English Channel to see how big the evacuation was and how many small boats and ships were there to save these soldiers from imminent doom. There are some close-ups and medium shots to display that terror including some hand-held cameras that help create that suspense and terror in scenes where a German plane is flying and ready to attack the soldiers on the beach.
For a film where so much is happening all at the same time or what happened a few minutes before, Nolan doesn’t stray from the human story as he does showcase these small moments that play into characters dealing with what is happening and figuring out how to survive. Whether it’s on a small boat or inside a plane, Nolan always show what these characters are looking into as well as the fact that he never shows the face of the enemy throughout the entirety of the film. There are also these moments amidst this massive shroud of darkness that showcase not just a glimmer of hope but also the sense of good in humanity amidst the plague of fear looming. Especially as Nolan would put in that sense of historical context into how important the evacuation was as a touchstone moment for Britain. Overall, Nolan crafts a thrilling yet rapturous film about the real-life Dunkirk evacuation that was a pivotal moment for Britain’s role in World War II.
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography from the sunny look in some scenes set in the sea to the greyer look of the scenes on land and in the air as well as some nighttime shots with the usage of fire for lighting specifics. Editor Lee Smith does incredible work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and some stylish non-linear cutting that help provide different perspective of the events that happen in the film as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Nathan Crowley, with set decorators Emmanuel Delis and Gary Fettis plus supervising art directors Kevin Ishioka and Eggert Ketilsson, does excellent work with the look of the interior of some of the naval ships as well as Mr. Dawson’s ship and the decayed pier at the Dunkirk beach. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does superb work with the costumes as it is mostly some army and naval uniforms which Commander Bolton wears in the latter.
Special effects supervisors Ian Corbould and Paul Corbould, along with visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, does fantastic work with the usage of practical effects for some of the aerial scenes with a few bits of computer-based effects for set dressing and crowd scenes. Sound editor Richard King does brilliant work with the sound to create a sense of atmosphere from the sound of planes flying in the air to the sound of torpedoes and bomb as the sound is often filled with terror as it is another of the film’s highlights. The film’s music by Hans Zimmer is amazing for its orchestral-based score with its offbeat arrangements in the percussions and sound as it help play into the suspense with some more somber pieces in the drama as it is one of Zimmer’s finest scores of his career.
The casting by John Papsidera and Toby Whale is great as it does feature a couple of notable small roles from Jochum ten Haaf as a Dutch seaman and the voice of Michael Caine as a radio communications man talking to Farrier and Collins. Jack Lowden is superb as the air force pilot Collins as a man trying to do whatever he can to stop the Germans from sinking ships and kill soldiers as he would also have a moment of terror of his own. Tom Hardy is excellent as Farrier as an air force pilot who is dealing with the malfunction of his fuel gauge as he is aware of how low he is on fuel but knows what he has to do as he doesn’t show much of his face except his eyes to show what must be done. Fionn Whitehead is fantastic as the young soldier Tommy who is the first character shown in the film as someone dealing with trying to survive while Harry Styles is wonderful as Alex as another young soldier who is also trying to survive but also has suspicions toward something that he feels is off. Aneurin Barnard is terrific as Gibson as a young soldier who is also trying to survive as he spends much of the film not saying very much.
Barry Keoghan is amazing as a 15-year old boy in George who helps Mr. Dawson and his son in retrieving soldiers on the sea while Tom Glynn-Carney is brilliant as Mr. Dawson’s son Peter as a young man who is helping his father as well as converse with those he saves. Mark Rylance is marvelous as Mr. Dawson as a civilian who decides to go to Dunkirk with his son and George in an act to help soldiers without having the navy to take his boat as he is aware of what is at stake. Cillian Murphy is incredible as a shell-shocked soldier Mr. Dawson saves as he copes with what he’s experienced as he’s in a state of shock. James D’Arcy is remarkable as Colonel Winnant as an officer trying to make sense of what is going on as well as wondering what is next for Britain in World War II. Finally, there’s Kenneth Branagh in a phenomenal performance as Commander Bolton as a naval officer trying to manage the evacuation as well as pondering if there is some form of miracle as his performance is just the most touching in the way he reacts to that glimmer of hope.
Dunkirk is an outstanding film from Christopher Nolan. Featuring a great ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, top-notch technical work in the editing and sound, Hans Zimmer’s enthralling score, and an inventive script that creates a sense of terror and intrigue. It’s a war film that just goes head on into what is happening as it’s told in multiple perspective from the soldiers stuck at the beach, on sea, and air to the civilians who travel from their homeland to bring their boys back home. In the end, Dunkirk is a magnificent film from Christopher Nolan.
Christopher Nolan Films: Following - Memento - Insomnia (2002 film) - Batman Begins - The Prestige - The Dark Knight - Inception - The Dark Knight Rises - Interstellar - Tenet - Oppenheimer - The Auteurs #13: Christopher Nolan
© thevoid99 2017
