Richard Erskine

The film was an epic exploration of the public but also private and inner life of Robert Oppenheimer, a complex character and undoubted genius who found himself in an extraordinary position, leading the Manhattan Project. It was a work of art not a documentary so conveyed the emotional life of RO, more than his scientific contributions in any detail, and strongly featured the vindictive nature of the attack dogs who sought to destroy him because of his concerns about a nuclear arms race. For many, RO was a flawed character who should not be celebrated, but this was an exploration of an extraordinary person who like us all, had feets of clay. Multidimensional and complex like his physics, and forever known for his work on the bomb but less well known for his early exploration of black holes. Such is the hand history dealt it’s hand. Personally I abhor nuclear weapons - they have not deterred wars, that is a myth. But we should not confuse a work of art with a treatise on ethics. It was evident that the film left it the viewer to ponder if RO ever truly put his personal demons to bed and make peace with himself regarding the story history would make of his role. I rather think he would have liked this film in that it did not attempt to resolve that question.