After discovering that I watch a lot of movies, a friend recently asked me what I think of TENET (2021) because he knows someone who is obsessed with it. My initial instinct was to reply, “well, it’s a fun movie, but not really one to be obsessed with.” Right before I left home to go see the re-release of this movie, I was struck with an odd thought: I might be just as engaged with this film as that friend. I’ve seen the film five times including two IMAX 15/70 showings at the Metreon in SF and have read the screenplay. I can quote it, explain it, and defend it. Why am I so reluctant to place this in my list of favorite films?
The answer: the film has its flaws, and one of my nightmare scenarios is having “Christopher Nolan fan” as a part of my identity (yes, I’ve watched all his films…). The part of me that’s a cinephile movie junkie just doesn’t want to acknowledge that I could find a movie with mostly sci-fi nonsense for dialogue extremely compelling.
But after this latest rewatch, I did find myself wanting to organize my thoughts on why I enjoy this movie so much, so here goes…
1. “Don’t try to understand it”
What has always separated TENET from its puzzle box film peers is exactly this idea. In a story that runs circles around you with all combinations of “protagonists” and “antagonists” moving forward and backward through time, the natural tendency is to divert your brain power toward full understanding of the plot. But if you spend the entire film trying to draw the diagram (there are many good ones online), then you can’t enjoy it at all. Nolan directly warns the viewer early about this and for those who can heed his advice the fun in the rest of the film is fully unlocked. The joy of this movie is that the pieces come together as you go, and those that don’t can always come back in the rewatch as a rewarding experience.
The only proper way to enjoy a filmmaker crashing a jumbo jet into the side of an airplane terminal is to be fully in the moment. Superhero films are popular for a reason; this is really just a complex riff on the saving the world plot story with set pieces that are more than “a little dramatic.” Is there really better escapist entertainment than watching the world saved from a fate more severe than nuclear holocaust?
A movie like Primer, on the other hand, gets too involved in its own time travel shenanigans to be truly entertaining. Of course it doesn’t have the budget of this film, but strip out the puzzle and there’s nothing left. Making the entire film the puzzle forces it to hinge on the strength of its twist and the catharsis of figuring out the solution. However, unless your IQ is off the charts you’re most likely to just be confused by the technical dialogue and arrive at the credits with frustration. TENET drops this problem because its thesis is that fully understanding the mechanics of the world is not important.
2. The ultimate heist film
TENET is constructed as a sequence of high-stakes heists that are revealed as pieces of one large heist, a formula that is not fully uncommon (see: 6 Underground which is just a bunch of Michael Bay set pieces back to back). The time-inversion device elevates it to the next level because it enables us to approach each heist twice while maximizing the entertainment value. Visiting each heist from multiple angles sets up a sense of dramatic irony in the first viewing as you see pieces that are guaranteed to come together in a satisfying way later, and adds to the thrill and danger. The order builds trust in the film’s structure despite any confusion and builds anticipation for the payoff of each element set up in the beginning.
3. Rhythm and vibes
TENET does owe a fair amount to its time travel and spy thriller predecessors. Its assumed familiarity with the structure and language of films in this genre may alienate some of the audience - but I think it is worth it. By engaging with common genre tropes Nolan can partially cover one of his biggest weaknesses: dialogue. In a film like this the goals are obvious (save the world, protect the girl, face high stakes with your friends). So we can keep the script simple and wash the film in music, turning the moments where characters mumble about their heist plans into musical connectors between beautiful, rhythmic set pieces bathed in the precise disturbed atmosphere of a world where time is limited. Most of the lines are throwaways (again, don’t try too hard to understand it). I challenge you to read the script and then tell me with full conviction that the sound mixing is bad. Do you really want to hear in full detail what “Protagonist” and Sator discuss on the hydroplane or fully comprehend what the account manager in the Oslo Freeport is chirping about in his sales pitch? I don’t think so. The sound imbalance forces your attention away from the voices and into the pairing of delicious 1.43:1 visuals and Ludwig Goransson’s best soundtrack.
One of my favorite moments is the kitchen fight. The core theme, a fun mix of sidechaining with bass and synths established in the opera house siege, drops out and instead finds its rhythm reflected in the cadence of the protagonist’s punches. All of this is meticulously choreographed, yet never gives the eerie feeling of moving the scene exactly on the beat (a la Call of Duty kill montages). The audio signals are the clues of whether we’re inverted or not, and the ways in which the motifs intertwine tell the same story in a different way.
4. “An expression of faith in the mechanics of the world”
While not a particularly deep film, TENET is a wide reflection of a theme I’ve always found myself particularly drawn to: how we cope with our understanding of fate. I’ve always envied those who possess the ability to push forward optimistically even while believing that everything is fated. I moved across the country for college and studied chemical engineering, only to find myself back in my hometown and employed by the financial industry just like the rest of my family (and extended family). Often I feel like I’m experiencing what Nolan’s “Protagonist” calls “pissing in the wind,” but of course I’m moving forward in time. Like the bell in the end of Andrei Rublev, I find the way Tenet is written as a weirdly moving expression of an irrational faith in the world I can only admire from afar. The earnest approach to this topic is something I find especially refreshing.
Final Thoughts
I’ve defended the sound mixing, but there are parts of this movie that I will not even try to defend. Branagh’s accent sounds unnatural every time. The biggest offenders are “I am the Protagonist of this operation” (cringe) and “and my son” (the real tragedy compared to annihilation of the world), which are awful and corny even by action blockbuster standards. Still, please go see these lines delivered at the largest IMAX screen you can find (Lincoln Square is ideal). You might even get some cool promotional film strips while you’re at it!