Dunkirk (2017)

Written, directed and co-produced by Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk, which actually is less of a typical war movie, but rather a film about survival and heroism, tells the story of the evacuation of about 400,000 Allied soldiers from Dunkerque, a town in northern France at the Belgian border, in May - June 1940 during WW II.

In May 1940, Germany advanced into France and Belgium, cutting off and trapping Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain and France on the beaches of Dunkirk. The only way out was by sea. Seen from three different perspectives, “The Mole (one week)”, “The Sea (one day)” and “The Air (one hour)”, here is where Dunkirk starts.

The Mole (one week)” - at the beach of Dunkirk thousands of Allied soldiers wait to be evacuated by British destroyers and to be brought back. The shortage of arriving ships and German attacks on the few available ships make it nearly impossible to bring the soldiers to safety. The main characters try to do whatever they need to do to get aboard any ship available, which however doesn’t guarantee their survival.

The Sea (one day) - back in Britain, the Royal Navy takes over private boats in an effort to rescue the soldiers stranded at Dunkirk. Mr. Dawson however doesn’t wait for the Navy to take command of his boat, but accompanied by his teenage son and a young helper rather put to sea alone to rescue as many men as possible on his own.

The Air (one hour) – a squadron of three RAF spitfires fly over the sea to provide air support to the troops. Fighting enemy planes, they try to protect the soldiers on the ground while ensuring their own safety.

At one point these three perspectives come together.

While Dunkirk is based on the true history of the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, the characters and the storyline are fictional. The movie received praise for its direction, soundtrack, cinematography and screenplay. Some critics even went so far as calling Dunkirk “the greatest war movie ever” or at least “Nolan’s best film so far”. Others however were disappointed and criticized the lack of drama, emotions, connectivity and character development.