Cinephile № 851 “Tenet”

Recommendation: 3/5 Stars, STREAM

Plot: “Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real-time.” -IMDB

Review: Writer and director Christopher Nolan does not shy away from complicated stories. In “Memento,” he tells a story where the end is the beginning. “Interstellar” attempts to make long-distance space travel, black holes, and the theory of relativity personal. “Inception” assumes the dream state can be entered and information stored there. “Tenet” tries to tell a story of people who have the power to invert time and how something like this could be used as a weapon.

All of these films have something in common. They can be really frustrating. Nolan has a habit of not spoon-feeding his audience. He presents a story that demands attention, demands to be rewatched, and demands debate. For the most part, when compared to other offerings from Hollywood, I have found his style refreshing. Until I saw “Tenet,” I never blamed Nolan for my inability to clearly understand what was occurring on the giant screen before me. I blamed my lack of understanding or some distraction buried in my own mind or in the theater.