Christopher Nolan says Oppenheimer’s ‘complicated’ ending may be like Inception

Director’s 2010 thriller famously ended on a note of extreme ambiguity

Christopher Nolan has likened the ending of his forthcoming biopic Oppenheimer to that of his 2010 film Inception.

Released next month, Oppenheimer follows the story of scientist J Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders) plays the title character while Robert Downey Jr and Matt Damon front an all-star supporting cast.

Inception starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, an American fugitive who has made a career out of infiltrating people’s dreams. The film famously ended on a note of ambiguity, with the audience left uncertain as to whether or not Cobb was still in a dream or not.

In an interview with Wired ahead of Oppenheimer’s release, Nolan was asked whether his films tended to have an optimistic or “anti-nihilistic” viewpoint.

“I mean, the end of Inception, it’s exactly that,” Nolan replied. “There is a nihilistic view of that ending, right? But also, [Cobb had] moved on and is with his kids. The ambiguity is not an emotional ambiguity. It’s an intellectual one for the audience.

“It’s funny, I think there is an interesting relationship between the endings of Inception and Oppenheimer to be explored,” he continued. “Oppenheimer’s got a complicated ending. Complicated feelings.”

Among the other actors to feature in Oppenheimer are Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Jack Quaid, Josh Hartnett, Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, Kenneth Branagh, Alden Ehrenreich, Dane DeHaan, and David Dastmalchian.

Nolan also ramped up the anticipation for Oppenheimer by claiming that cinemagoers have been walking away from test screenings of the film “devastated”.

Cillian Murphy (centre) in ‘Oppenheimer' (Universal)

“Some people leave the movie absolutely devastated,” the director claimed. “They can’t speak. I mean, there’s an element of fear that’s there in the history and there in the underpinnings. But the love of the characters, the love of the relationships, is as strong as I’ve ever done.”

Nolan, 52, added: “It is an intense experience because it’s an intense story. I showed it to a filmmaker recently who said it’s kind of a horror movie. I don’t disagree.”

The film clocks in at three hours long, making it Nolan’s longest release to date.

Kai Bird, the historian who wrote the 2005 biography that inspired Nolan’s film, also recently shared his thoughts on the movie.

“I am, at the moment, stunned and emotionally recovering from having seen [Oppenheimer],” he said.

Oppenheimer is set to be released in cinemas on 21 July.