Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant but controversial physicist who led the Manhattan Project and helped develop the atomic bomb. The film is structured in a nonlinear fashion, interweaving three interconnected timelines: Oppenheimer’s early academic life, his leadership during the Manhattan Project, and his post-war downfall as his security clearance is scrutinized.
The film opens in 1954, with Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) facing a security hearing regarding his alleged ties to Communism. This hearing, orchestrated by Admiral Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), is a calculated effort to discredit Oppenheimer, stemming from personal grievances and suspicions about his political leanings.
Flashing back to 1926, a young Oppenheimer studies at the University of Cambridge. Dissatisfied with his professor and struggling with his mental health, he nearly poisons his tutor’s apple but reconsiders after an inspiring encounter with physicist Niels Bohr. Bohr encourages him to study in Germany, where quantum mechanics is revolutionizing science. Oppenheimer takes this advice and travels to Göttingen, where he befriends physicist Isidor Rabi and interacts with the influential Werner Heisenberg, who would later work on Nazi Germany’s nuclear program.
After returning to the United States, Oppenheimer began teaching physics at the University of California, Berkeley. Initially met with little interest, his charisma and deep knowledge gradually aattractedlarger audiences, establishing him as a rising star in the field. During this period, he becomes romantically involved with Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), a Communist Party member, sparking concerns about his political affiliations. Their passionate but unstable relationship ends with Tatlock’s tragic death under suspicious circumstances, adding to the cloud of controversy surrounding him.
Oppenheimer later meets and marries Kitty Puening (Emily Blunt), a former Communist sympathizer trapped in an unhappy marriage. As their relationship deepens and they start a family, Kitty struggles with the pressures of their life and turns to alcohol.
Meanwhile, World War II escalates, and General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) recruits Oppenheimer to lead the Manhattan Project—America’s top-secret effort to develop an atomic bomb before Nazi Germany. Though initially hesitant, Oppenheimer accepts the challenge and assembles a team of elite scientists, establishing the secret research facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Under intense pressure and secrecy, they push the boundaries of science and engineering to create a weapon capable of ending the war.
As the project progresses, tensions rise between Oppenheimer and Strauss, who suspects Communist infiltration within the team. Meanwhile, discussions about developing an even more powerful Hydrogen bomb further deepen the ethical dilemmas Oppenheimer faces.
The climax of the film arrives with the successful "Trinity Test," the first detonation of a nuclear bomb in July 1945. The awe-inspiring and terrifying power of the explosion confirms their success, leading to the eventual bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, Oppenheimer is deeply disturbed by the destruction caused by his creation. He later meets with President Harry Truman, expressing his moral concerns and fearing that he has "opened Pandora’s box." Truman dismisses him, viewing his regret as a weakness.
In the post-war years, Oppenheimer becomes an advocate for nuclear arms control, putting him at odds with political figures like Strauss. In the late 1950s, Strauss orchestrates a campaign to tarnish Oppenheimer’s reputation, leading to the infamous security hearing that ultimately revokes his security clearance. Betrayed and disillusioned, Oppenheimer watches as the world he helped change moves beyond his control.
The film closes with a reflection on Oppenheimer’s legacy—both as a scientific genius and a man burdened by the moral consequences of his greatest achievement. Oppenheimer is a thought-provoking exploration of ambition, power, and the profound impact of scientific discovery on humanity.
