One of the best movies in life, shocking documentary of the making and dropping of the nuclear bomb that ended WWII.
Wednesday afternoon, work was less busy and I have planned to treat self for not drinking for a month, thus sneaking to watch this newly released movie. People actually talked about this movie at work.
As usual, I was late for the movie missing perhaps the first few minutes (maybe the movie was long they didn’t have the usual 10-15 minutes movie ads).
Admittedly the first hour was boring to the point I almost dozed off: a physicist was appointed to head for a renown physics department; the scene of meeting an old and bit disoriented scholar (indeed Albert Einstein); the lengthy questioning and tortuous “trying to find a needle in a haystack" type of searching evidence to pass Oppenheimer security check for the role; his fantasy sextual encounter w a women who was thought to be a communist spy. I bet a physicist mind has always been in his world of atom, the smallest matter in the universe, how it interacts w things, energy, even during the moment of lovely intercourse.
It was funny Robert De Niro showed up for a figure that may be negilegible through the entire documentary/drama.
The second half was getting more drama and stunning. The testing in the Mojave Desert was very drastic and shocking, the timing and decision to blow up the bomb, the rain, the faintest possibility that the force out of the genie that may wipe out humanity is close to 0. How funny even the best physicist can’t predict things in absolute 1 or 0 answer. The fierce heat was stunning and thanks to the visual re-creation of the nuclear bomb we get to see the impact of the invention that may destroy ourselves in not too long future.
It’s a weapon of mass destruction, it’s not ethical to use it to kill people. Yet any weapon can kill people and this weapon of mass destruction can stop and end the war, I would use it. I can't agree more.
(Searching his quote and only found this: “It was the duty of the scientists to build the bomb, but it was the duty of the statesman to decide whether or how to use it.” https://discover.lanl.gov/news/0714-oppenheimer-literature/)
It is rare people applauded at end of the movie, I mean, clapping and I sense the noticeable collective agreeing and appreciating, yes, in Oakland, one of the worst cities w high crime, homelessness and deteriorating sunken humanity in a modern city. Perhaps right timing that world is again to the point of world war, perhaps we shall all look up and seek peace from the vast forces of unknown. Instead of killing each other, look for where we can resort for a good rest, like watching a movie on a Wednesday afternoon.
