The Basic Tenants of Tenet

Last updated on: September 11, 2020 at 5:01 pm by Ben Witherington

The Basic Tenants of Tenet 2020-09-11T17:01:43-04:00 Ben Witherington

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Christopher Nolan is more than a little intrigued by the notions of time being flexible (see Einstein). If you watch movies like Inception, or even Nolan’s more recent work in Dunkirk, you will see what I mean. This most recent contribution to the ouevre that Nolan writes, producers and directs all by himself is without question the most complex and also confusing. It trades on the notion of inversion, the idea that things from the future can filter back into the present or the past— and the question is, is this a way to change the direction of the future, or is it the case that ‘what’s done is done’ and the future can’t alter it? Inquiring minds want to know.

There are the usual special effects, ginned up tension, violent conflicts, car chases (in reverse) and visual stunners in the movie to keep your attention, even if you can’t figure out the plot. And therein lies the rub. There are now various videos on You Tube taking 10, 20 or more minutes to explain just the ending of the movie. I’m sorry but this shouldn’t really be necessary if one is talking about the basic plot line. All that Rotten Tomatoes gives you is this one off remark—- “Armed with only one word–Tenet–and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.”

Well yes, but there is also a drama involving a Russian and his wife and child, and as it turns out the Russian is bent on ending the world at the same moment he will die. If he can’t have the world, then no one can. Talk about megalomania! Kenneth Branagh is clearly one of Nolan’s favorites featured in this film as the bad guy, and in Dunkirk as one of the good guys. The acting in the film is better than average, but little time is devoted to character development.

And as it turns out the word tenet and a certain hand gesture is the basis of the protagonists recognizing each other for the first time, as well as some kind of stereotypical sentence about it being twilight. The twilight of civilization like ordinary twilight is a time when one can’t see very well. This movie epitomizes a season when time is out of joint, and even the Protagonist keeps having to have the whole situation explained to him. Perhaps in some ways the chaotic present in America, with all the political, racial, and pandemic problems is a perfect time for such a film.

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