One of Christopher Nolan’s less widely acclaimed films that earned polarising reviews, Tenet has, nevertheless, created a niche fan base that appreciates its unique concept and filmmaking style. One of the major criticisms directed towards the film was that it was too “confusing”.
Renowned for making concept-heavy films, Nolan has now come forward to explain Tenet and its intricacies. In a new video that surfaced on the TikTok channel @guywithamoviecamera, Nolan discussed the concept of his 2020 sci-fi actioner. The video begins with the filmmaker acknowledging the difficulty of discussing it compared to simply watching and understanding or “feeling” it.
Nolan further clarified that Tenet isn’t about conventional time travel but rather explores the “direction of time” through entropy. “All the laws of Physics are symmetrical; they are all identical whichever direction time is running in, other than entropy.”
He continued, “Now, there’s debate in the world of Physics as to whether entropy defines the direction of time or whether it just shows the direction of time; whether it’s a cause or a product.”
Watch Tenet trailer here:
“Tenet,” he emphasised, “takes on this idea that entropy is the cause. What’s happening in the film is, rather than just moving backwards and forwards in time, machines have been developed that can change the direction of time for an object or a person. So, you are mixing the two directions of time within the same scene, within the same frame.”
“You don’t have to view cause and effect as defined by one coming before the other. There’s nothing in the laws of Physics that suggests you couldn’t look at time in a different direction,” Nolan pointed out.
“So, the scene where the protagonist holds his hand over the inverted bullet and it jumps up to his hand,” the director explained using the popcorn in his hand, “you make it happen; whether or not you drop the bullet, whether or not the bullet flies up into your hand. It has to be your hand; it has to be your will that’s making it happen.”
“If the popcorn kernel itself was running in a different direction of time, it can come up into the hand. In the film, we posit that because its entropy is being reversed. That’s how Tenet is created, like the title, as a palindrome.”
Christopher Nolan explaining TENET
pic.twitter.com/8DvVyEhbKe— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) February 20, 2024
Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debicki in the lead roles, Tenet hit the screens on September 3, 2020, becoming the first Hollywood film to be released in theatres following their prolonged shutdown owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The film is now getting ready for a one-week theatrical re-release later this month.
Nolan’s latest epic biographical thriller Oppenheimer had garnered global praise and secured victories in key categories across numerous prestigious award ceremonies. Oppenheimer is currently gearing up for the 2024 Oscars.
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