Nolan Talks About New Film 'Oppenheimer': Mastering a Genius's Ideas is a Challenge

“Our idea was how to enter someone's mind and see how they conceive this radical transformation of physics. One of the things that movies have struggled with historically is how to present the ideas of a genius or sparks of intelligence. The end result often fails to capture people's attention.”

“When I finished the script, the first person I gave it to was the visual effects supervisor, Andrew Jackson. I told him we had to find a way to get into this guy's brain. We have to see the world the way he sees it, to be able to see atoms move, to see energy waves the way he imagines, to see the quantum world. And then we have to see how all of this translates into the final Trinity nuclear test. We have to feel the danger, feel the threat. My challenge to him was, 'Do all of this, but without using any CG effects.'”

“I wrote the script in the first person, something I had never done before, and I don't know if anyone else has done it. But the key is that the colored sections, which are the main parts of the film, are narrated from Obenheimer's perspective. You're actually seeing the world through his eyes. It feels strange, but it reminded me of how to make a movie, reminding everyone involved in this film, 'Okay, this is the perspective of every scene.'”

“I wanted to experience this story with Obenheimer. I didn't want to just sit on the sidelines and judge him. That seemed like a meaningless exercise, more like a documentary, political theory, or social science. This story is something you're supposed to experience with him, not judge him, but collectively face the irreconcilable ethical dilemmas he faces.”