Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer finally hit theaters today — but as coincidence would have it, 21 July is a very special day in Christopher Nolan history.
This is because, five years ago today, the war movie Dunkirk was released in theaters too. The thriller movie, which is notorious for its minimal dialogue, provides a holistic interpretation of the evacuation of WWII soldiers from Dunkirk.
It relies heavily on stunts, cinematography, and music to amplify the tension of the evacuation — and it was this bold filmmaking direction that led to Dunkirk getting eight Academy Award nominations, of which they won three. Needless to say, it’s one of the best movies Nolan has ever made.
In an interview with NPR, Nolan describes the evacuation of Dunkirk as one of “the greatest stories in human history.”
“You’ve got 400,000 men on this beach [in Dunkirk, France], pretty much within sight of England; the enemy closing in on all sides,” the drama movie director explained.
“And they were faced with really the choice between surrender and annihilation. And the fact that this story does not end in either surrender or annihilation is why, for me, I think it’s one of the greatest stories in human history.”
You can watch Dunkirk on the Netflix streaming service now, and when you’re done with that, be sure to check out everything new on Netflix, including new movies and Netflix series.
Or, for more on Nolan, check out our guide to the next Christopher Nolan movie, along with our Oppenheimer review.