Oppenheimer

Been thinking about the film a lot since I saw it last month, so I'm glad I got to see it again (in IMAX on 70mm again) I think I am still grappling with the choice to tell this story through not just Oppenheimer's Security Clearance Appeal Hearing but also Strauss's Senate Confirmation Hearing. Of course their stories are intertwined, but you can tell the story of Oppenheimer--even include Strauss's vindictiveness and his role in Oppenheimer's professional demise--without giving 1/3rd of the movie over to Strauss's confirmation hearing. This event does not appear in Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin's book American Prometheus, so Nolan clearly added it for a reason, and I still can't quite put my finger on why. Are we supposed to delight in Strauss's failure to get confirmed to a Cabinet position because he tanked Our Hero's career? (the filmmaking makes it feel like we are!) Are we supposed to see some sort of kindred spirit between these two men as Jews who were taken in and used by the system and disposed of when deemed no longer necessary? Are they two sides of the same coin, the same side of two coins? What are the coins? Couldn't a more compelling dual narrative have been built around Oppenheimer and Teller instead? I think these questions will continue to plague me, but I've now decided to enjoy that puzzle rather than be angry about it. The film is so obviously a monumental accomplishment. 5 stars for now until I change my mind again