The Staggering Achievement of Oppenheimer Deserves Best Picture at the Oscars - Beau Hayhoe

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An undeniable film that serves as history in the making

“The world will remember this day,” Cillian Murphy memorably intones in the Christopher Nolan epic Oppenheimer, at a pivotal point in the movie – after the renowned scientist (and his fellow scientists at the Oppenheimer-led Los Alamos laboratory) had received word of the dropping of the atomic bomb in August 1945.

The scene turns rather vivid and gruesome from there: Murphy’s Oppenheimer, even then, begins to grapple with the gravity of the project he led, one that ended World War II and changed the world forever, inarguably.

Indeed, the film is memorable in its own right, a remarkable exploration of human achievement, the moral quandary at the root of the atomic bomb, and the fallout afterwards.

What it all comes down to is a deft touch by Christopher Nolan, a tough and introspective look at a crucial point in human history, and a memorable performance by famed actor Cillian Murphy as the world-famous scientist.

And that, dear reader, is why Oppenheimer deserves Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. The film has already run away with a slew of awards, memorably bringing home Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (for Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Oppenheimer foe Lewis Strauss) and Best Actor.

You might say that’s only the beginning - at least, that’s what this writer thinks. This film deserves every award it’s set to win, and perhaps even more beyond that. It could be called a masterpiece, even.

For a largely dialogue-driven film exploring difficult-to-grasp concepts like nuclear physics, fission, politics and historical ramifications, the picture is Nolan at his very best. It even takes on soaring, sweeping, almost superhero-esque movements at times – and it clearly won over audiences, raking in more than $950 million worldwide.

Not bad for a film about a scientist, right?

Already a master of snappy dialogue and fast-moving scenery – and notoriously complex concepts like the world of dreams (See: 2010’s Inception) and shape-shifting time travel (For reference, check out Tenet), it all comes to a head in Oppenheimer.

The director managed to take a massive book (the Pulitzer Prize-winning 2005 biography American Prometheus) and turn it into a sharply directed and edited film, one that doesn’t shy away from complex themes or the resulting devastation.

It’s a staggering achievement in its own right, and packed with actors giving some of the finest performances of their career. That roster includes the grim determination of Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s wife, Florence Pugh in a devastating turn as Oppenheimer lover Jean Tatlock, and Josh Hartnett as physicist Ernest Lawrence.

Even the bit players are much more than faces on a screen (if you’ve seen the film, you might recognize child actor Josh Peck, who shows up at a critical time in the picture – during the Trinity Test of the atomic bomb itself).

It’s an ingenious move by Nolan that works beautifully – it also helps the film cruise by much more quickly than its long run time might indicate. It’s already the stuff of legend: A historical epic that manages to move as swiftly as an action flick, all the while never backing down from hard questions or difficult decisions.

And while films like Barbie or the romantic drama Past Lives are exceptional in their own right, one explosive film rises above the rest this year: Of course, that’s Oppenheimer, and the world will no doubt remember the day it takes home some serious hardware at the Oscars.