Oppenheimer

The opening of Bradley Cooper's film, Maestro, is a title card with a quote from Leonard Bernstein:  

“A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers.”

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is a film that is so devoted to examining the internal struggles of its title character, that all other elements fade into the background.  The starkest example of Nolan's commitment to his vision, comes at the climax of the film, just as the world has learned that the United States has harnessed the power of the atom, into a weapon of incomprehensible power, this is the moment that Nolan focuses intently on the reaction of one man.  This man, J. Robert Oppenheimer was integral to the development of the atomic bombs that the United States dropped on Japan to end World War II.  Oppenheimer is portrayed as arrogant and cavalier as he begins the process of developing the bomb, but he is transformed into a sober prophet after he is confronted with the weight of his contribution to death and destruction.  While Oppenheimer is the subject of the film, Nolan's real purpose is an examination of the internal struggles that that are common to the human experience.  Nolan chose an extreme case, someone who has principles that don't align with any particular moral standard, but still struggles with the choices he makes and their impact on the world around him.  In the film, Oppenheimer's finds inspiration from his mistress, but more than that, he is captivated by the way in which she expresses herself to him; she fulfills a desire that his wife does not meet.  Or, perhaps he isn't so different from any other man, and is simply pursuing that which deep down inside he knows to be wrong.  Whatever the explanation, Nolan explores the internal struggle that Oppenheimer has, between doing what he wants, and doing that which he knows will keep the peace with his wife.  This examination of Oppenheimer's personal life mirrors the struggle that he faces in regards to the development of the bomb, as he pursues a goal that will have dire consequences regardless of his success.  Nolan's affinity for exploring big ideas, with equally large films is approached differently with Oppenheimer, as there is intentional restraint in how Nolan handles the events that occur outside his main character's field of view.  Most specifically, Nolan does not want this to be a war picture like Dunkirk, and he doesn't want a visual representation of dropping the bombs to steal the show; he knows that we already understand how horrific those things are, and instead keeps his focus on the man, as he struggles with the role that he played in making it happen.  Considering gravity of the questions that Nolan examines, and the tension inherent between the contradictory answers, I believe that Bernstein would most definitely consider Oppenheimer to be a 'work of art'.