Survival over Valor: The Antithesis Psychology of War in “Dunkirk” Dennis Odhiambo College

War films tend to adhere to the common trope of heroism or courage by combatants in the face of impossible adversity while displaying unshaken patriotism. Rarely do these films display the overwhelming dread that comes with facing one’s own mortality while crossing enemy lines or engaging in combat. Films such as Saving Private Ryan entails few scenes that portray the trepidations of war that soldiers possess when accosted in dire encounters, but overall the display of valor as the psychology of war is more frequent. In Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, however, the trope is abandoned as it displays the terror and pursuit for survival rather than grand exhibition of valor on the part of the soldiers cornered within enemy lines. The biographical film depicts the evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk during World War II where active combat was not the objective but complete withdrawal. The British and French soldiers have been pushed within German troop’s territory without a way to get back home despite being visible across the English Channel. As the hope for evacuation becomes dimmer, the Allies must strive to endure the constant attacks by the Germans as the death toll also increases. Nolan focuses on the lengths soldiers will go...