Oppenheimer's Most Confusing Moments Explained

"Oppenheimer" is one of director Christopher Nolan's more straightforward films, but even this historical biopic takes some dramatic license and makes some choices that may have filmgoers scratching their heads.

#Oppenheimer #Confusing #Moments

The black-and-white parts | 0:00
Seeing the quantum realm | 1:20
Over our heads | 2:27
Only one student? | 3:30
A frustrating relationship | 4:31
Child abandonment | 5:27
See no evil | 6:21
Why stay? | 7:35
An elaborate set-up | 8:33
Why not just stop? | 9:28

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[joshuazeidan]

This isn’t an explanation, it’s a critique.

[michaelhill]

It’s hilarious that you’d protest that only one student attended Oppenheimer’s class. Sir Isaac Newton would literally teach to the walls in Trinity College because no one attended his classes. He was so ahead of his time, even the students thought he was insane. Imagine what modern Physics Professors would pay to sit in on one of his lectures. He is arguably the most important figure in the history of Science. He invented Calculus, Classical Physics, Classical Optics, the reflecting telescope, etc. “Nature and nature's laws lay hid in the night. God said, Let Newton be! and all was light!”

[wallacekao]

I'm more confused about this video than the film itself. While this video doesn't really explain well enough about any of the confusing moments of this film, it actually confuses itself while the film has sufficiently done its work of delivering scenes which offer a profound insight to the struggling moral challenges in Dr. Oppenheimer's life.

[malik_alharb]

I think the film shows that Oppenheimer and many of the other characters are flawed and human. Not everything they do is rational or good. Just because someone is an intellectual genius doesn't make them perfect

[tnbadboy]

Yeeeeaaah, I think you missed it on this one. Saw Oppenheimer yesterday and NOTHING about it was confusing. You don't need a STEM background to understand what's happening and the concepts being discussed. I feel like the team on this video wanted to be spoon-fed the story & plot points.

[positivevibes]

Some of us actually have an education and very much appreciated Nolan’s more nuanced techniques, especially the practical effect driven visions of wave functions and superpositions.

[JohnnyNiteTrain]

I found nothing confusing about the storytelling whatsoever. Intense, dramatic, thrilling, sad, funny moments, and leaves you feeling very gutted to really think deeply about us humans having the capability of destroying this planet in such a violent way. So insane.

[scottkidder]

These weren’t the confusing parts. It’s not up to Nolan to explain the actions of a historical figure. Oppenheimer was a unique individual who made questionable decisions that didn’t always make sense to the average person. But at the end of the day, that’s what happened. If you’re a storyteller, it’s not your job to make it make sense or invent things to try and explain it, it’s your job to tell the story. I’m sure Oppenheimer had his reasons for not stopping. I’m sure he was conflicted about his creation but wasn’t completely against it. I’m sure he had interests in nuclear energy production. Nolan also assumes his audience is smart enough to figure out what’s going on. He doesn’t treat us like children. I feel like it goes without saying that if you watch a Nolan film, you’re going to have to work a little bit to grasp what’s going on.

[dopplerdog]

If the narrator doesn't pronounce Strauss as "Straws" it's because she hasn't seen the movie herself personally

[space_]

The scene where he drops off the baby is SUPER important. The conversation he has about thinking he is selfish, and the response that selfish people don’t know they’re selfish mirrors the discussion / internal conflict of his responsibility after the bomb is created.

[abrokeengineer]

It wouldn't make sense for the portrayed physicists to explain complicated physics terms because to them it's normal. It doesn't make sense for the movie to have geniuses explain to the audience who hasn't taken a physics class. Just go with it, they are geniuses.

[HalfassDIY]

The film is awesome. I'm not sure why the reviewer is so confused about anything that's not black and white, the real world is a complex place.

[jadenschmitz]

Congratulations Looper, you have thrown your hat into the ring of critiquing this film because you went to the theater expecting a Nolan Batman movie. This film is beautifully shot, a masterclass in writing, a show of amazing casting, and proof as to how an insane score makes the film. People who go into this film expecting Batman characters, Tenet level action, and the enthralling writing of Inception all wrapped up with the scientific wonder of Interstellar aren’t going to know what to think of this film. This is a departure from what masterpieces Nolan creates, but is far from being a film people won’t get. Nolan made a biopic for people enamored with character studies of people who are important to history. This film isn’t confusing if you know what you’re getting yourself into. Oppenheimer shows the character growth of a man who used his intelligence to gain fame and realized along the way he is creating something that will change the course, especially for the worse if it falls into the wrong hands. It’s the story of a man who the government used until they no longer needed him and put him on trial for being an open thinker who cared about the good of humanity.

[SleepyBoiOfficial]

Am I the only one who was on the edge of my seat when the countdown began and everyone was quaking whilst waiting to see if the bomb worked or would lite the atmosphere? Personally, I could feel my heart beating. Everyone in the theatre went completely silent.

[awonoto]

The writer of this piece… has no curiosity to check Wikipedia? One student thing was REAL. And to boldly assert that the already simplified scientific terms are going EVERYONE’s head… this reflects more on Looper’s writer than the movie itself.

[MsKassandraKotaku]

Wow having one student is not that shocking back then. I'm at a major uni and we run classes now in new programmes with as few as 5 students. The last place I was at, we had min viability being 8. If something is cutting edge and you are growing it, one wouldn't be that shocking especially back then. Programmes grow very quickly...often doubling with each running.

[silentwarrior]

Just watched Oppenheimer and it’s a masterpiece. Oppenheimer is basically Christopher Nolan’s Schindler list. To prove his rang as a director

[JoseMonkeys]

The people here in Chile left the theater in silence; (with few exceptions) I myself felt tense the three hours of runtime. Beautiful cinematography embedded with horror.

[Dr_LK]

Jeeesus, half of these questions are really dumb!

[chazzsheckys]

Not that unusual for a graduate level class to have one student on the first day. Graduate level class enrollment is always smaller. You never see lecture halls used for graduate level classes. Most are small seminar size classrooms.