I understand that Dunkirk raked in money and received a boatload of awards. I also generally like Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker. So I was looking forward to seeing Dunkirk.
I just finished watching Dunkirk, and now I have a headache.
The film doesn't have characters, it has people the camera lingers on longer. Its soundtrack is constantly oppressive. It's somehow boring in addition to being oppressive. And the time difference between the three plotlines is confusing and makes it difficult to get a sense of the stakes sometimes.
It's pretty clear that Nolan was trying to capture the oppressive, disorienting nature of war in a film. Nolan is a really good film maker, so he succeeded, which means that Dunkirk is an oppressive, disorienting movie. Unfortunately, the fact that these qualities were intended does not make them good, at least in my view.
Am I missing something? Did you like Dunkirk, and if so, why? I'm genuinely confused here, because I just don't get it.