Dunkirk - A True Face of War

The movie Dunkirk by director Christopher Nolan tells the story of one of the most famous military operations of World War Two which received mythical status in British history.
This battle was referred to by Winston Churchill as a battle of both defeat and victory and has become a symbol of the British perseverance in World War Two.
Operation Dynamo was a British operation held in late May 1940 in the French port city of Dunkirk. About 400,000 allied soldiers were surrounded by German forces with only the sea as their outlet.
Civilian ships, yachts and fishing boats were all requisitioned and sent to the shores of Dunkirk to help evacuate the troops under siege.
The movie depicts the operation through three perspectives. The scenes on the shore transpire during the course of a week; the events on the sea within the course of a day and the scenes in the air unfold during the course of an hour. All stories eventually meet as the movie progresses. At first it is quite difficult to follow the dividing lines and understand the timeline, but as the film advances the viewer is able to put the narrative in the correct time frame.

A couple of factors make this movie unique and unlike most war movies I have seen.
First, the German enemy remains faceless; they only appear as the danger lurking from the air and the land to the thousands of soldiers gathered on the beaches waiting to be rescued. Churchill and the generals making the decisions are absent from the film as well, though Churchill's famous speech "We shall fight on the Beaches" is quoted in the end.
Instead, Mr. Nolan chooses to focus on the British and French soldiers, none of whose names are explicitly said. This decision shifts the focus from the people running the war to the thousands of soldiers who fought in it. The soldiers who faced the deepest fear, anxiety and sense of despair. The movie is not about one single hero, but rather a telling of the story of the thousands of soldiers whose sole wish was to survive the horrors of war and return home safely.
The heroes of this battle are therefore human beings with all their faults and misgivings. The film's strength comes from its restraint. It is not melodramatic and over sentimental and therefore depicts the truth, fear and brutality of war.

For anyone interested in a gripping and engrossing World War Two film - this is the movie for you.
For a link to the trailer, click below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-eMt3SrfFU