Transported

Inspirational song: I Still Believe (The Call)

I want to write a movie review tonight. I've done it before in this space but not very often. I'd really love to give a cogent synopsis of the film I saw this afternoon, with a deep, insightful analysis. Unfortunately, the combination of products I have used to try to combat pain today have left me somewhat loose around the edges. It's going to be much shorter and a lot less comprehensive a review than it would be from someone who does this for a living.

For months, people I know have been waiting for Dunkirk to come out. I kind of smiled and nodded. I apparently skipped that part of history, and I really knew nothing at all about this amazing story from World War II. For the last week, I have heard a whole lot of buzz about it, from people close to me and people I will never meet in real life. I knew the Mr had expressed interest in it, so I suggested it for this afternoon. I will never regret spending my time today on this movie.

It tells one story from three different perspectives, crossing timelines back and forth like long hair in a French braid. It took me a while to understand that eventually all of these differently-timed events would arrive at the same moment together, but as they got closer to it, my tension increased. I couldn't look away from the screen. I'm fairly sure that by the last twenty or thirty minutes, I did not blink once. I certainly didn't get out of my seat for the bathroom break I really needed.

There were some big stars sprinkled among the actors, but the ones who really shined were the youngest men, the relative unknowns. One pivotal character does not speak through most of the movie, but his role is incredibly deep and compelling.

There has been a trend in war movies to be as graphic as possible, to show the true horrors of war in the bloodiest way possible. Such shocking gore was not necessary to build tension or express how desperate was the struggle to survive. I didn't need any of that to feel real fear for thousands of troops who were trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk some 77 years ago. I really don't want to give away the end, in case some of you are like me, and don't know this piece of history. Go see it yourself, and feel yourself absolutely transported to a different time and place. I recommend it.