Oppenheimer
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Three hours flew by as you watch a brilliant man with a brilliant team challenging the boundaries of science while being challenged by the world. Projecting myself, feeling for him, wishing to be him and wishing to never experience his main all come about immediately.
As an engineer in a leadership position, and an aspiring scientist who is looking to create world-changing innovations, I found myself inspired and fearful of Oppenheimer’s struggles and successes. Moments like “you’re just a politician now” hit too true to home on weeks when I spend not too much time building, but the ability to advocate for change and gather resources that comes with such klout is a necessary evil.
The balance of honesty, impact, fame and capital is a delicate one, and best captured in a book called “Richer, Wiser, Happier” by William Green. I do not know how rich or happy Oppenheimer was, but I do know he was “Brilliant, Wiser, Impactful”. You could tell that he had his goals & ambitions, and the struggles along the way were worth it. The tradeoffs to get there had repracations, but were worth it.
Einstein’s involvement in the film was overlooked. You could tell he was a secondary character, but one who was just an advisor who has already lived through all the ups and downs in his life. Similar to how he scientific success incurred familial burdens, Oppenheimer followed the same path. Lighting the torch of innovation requires ou to get burnt, and burns leave scars. However, if you don’t have these scars, you never see the light in the first place.