The film follows the story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00 We imagine a future, and our imaginings horrify us.
00:05 In the case of this film, I wrote the script in the first person.
00:09 It's the only time I've done that.
00:10 It made it clear to anyone who read the script that we're on this ride with Oppenheimer.
00:15 It was very unusual. It took me a minute to actually comprehend.
00:19 And then I realized, oh, that's a huge responsibility.
00:24 I don't know if we can be trusted, but I know that Nancy's can't.
00:29 Killian playing Oppenheimer was the centerpiece of the film,
00:32 but I knew that he was going to need the most extraordinary ensemble around him.
00:36 Let's go recruit some scientists.
00:38 If Chris Nolan calls you and says that he'd like to meet with you,
00:42 you're like, I don't care what it is.
00:44 You'd be mad to say no.
00:46 And I feel like that's probably everybody's answer with this.
00:51 From the second I read the script, I knew that he had a very acute vision,
00:57 and if he were able to render that vision, that this film would be a masterpiece.
01:03 All America's industrial might and scientific innovation connected here.
01:07 Keep everyone there until it's done.
01:09 It feels to me like every single character is significant
01:13 because they're all historical figures of consequence.
01:16 There's a chance when we push that button, we destroy the world.
01:20 Chances are near zero.
01:22 I tried to familiarize myself with Groves and the history
01:26 and then talk to Chris about what he needed from that part.
01:29 Groves was almost like a kindergarten teacher in some respects
01:33 because these scientists were so eccentric and not necessarily trustworthy.
01:37 I mean, if you're looking from a military perspective.
01:39 Why would we go to the middle of nowhere for who knows how long?
01:43 Why? How about because this is the most important thing to ever happen in the history of the world?
01:48 I was aware of who Louis Strauss was.
01:50 I came to have a pretty even-handed understanding of him.
01:53 He was a righteous guy. I think he was a great public servant.
01:57 But he's always behind the scenes.
01:59 I've always appreciated the people who are backstage.
02:02 Truman needs to know what's next.
02:04 What's next?
02:05 With Kitty Oppenheimer, what I really was drawn to
02:08 is she refused to conform to the sort of feminine ideal of the time.
02:13 She had this defiance against the system that felt so modern.
02:18 Jean Tattlock was blunt, knew what she wants.
02:21 But at no point is she ever punished for that.
02:24 And especially not by Oppenheimer.
02:27 Theory will take you only so far.
02:29 Oppenheimer sees things in sort of different dimensions.
02:32 Physicists operate on a completely different level than we do.
02:36 And I think sometimes it's a burden.
02:38 So I was really interested in that.
02:40 What we were looking for was a remarkably centered performance,
02:44 the heart of the film, but also an ensemble piece.
02:48 I was there on set every day, surrounded by a team of actors
02:52 who knew more than I did about what was going on from their point of view.
02:57 And that's what you're really looking for as a director.
03:00 It's a profoundly moving and overwhelming experience watching it.
03:05 Because you feel so compelled to watch what's happening with these people
03:08 and how they're drawn into the biggest of moral dilemmas
03:11 and what they're wrestling with, all of the characters.
03:14 With the sound design and the score and the emotionality of it,
03:18 this is not a film, this is an experience.
03:21 When I saw it in its finished form, I was kind of like,
03:25 "Wow. Yeah, that's what we were hoping this could be."
03:30 The world will remember this day.
03:34 [music]
03:38 (dramatic music)