Our Letter to Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan CBE

Syncopy Inc.

California

Dear Mr. Christopher Nolan CBE,

CC: Ms. Emma Thomas, Syncopy Inc., Mr. Charles Roven, Atlas Entertainment

We are writing to you as a group of youth concerned about the humanitarian impact of the development, testing, and use of nuclear weapons. The purpose of this letter is to remind you that the nuclear threat is ever-present, and that use of nuclear weapons is still possible. With emerging conflicts, as well as nuclear weapons states and their allies reaffirming their military security doctrines in the name of national security, the world stands at a precipice. Not since the Cuban Missile Crisis has nuclear war has ever been closer.

Your film on J. Robert Oppenheimer has the capacity for showcasing to millions worldwide the true horrors of nuclear weapons, and we commend the attention you have brought to the issue of nuclear weapons. 

We are confident that you have taken care in your portrayal of Oppenheimer and other scientists behind the Manhattan Project,  including the somber and regretful feelings of those who developed those weapons and their disregard for humanitarian concerns during the developmental process. That said, we worry about how the film may glorify nuclear weapons or marginalize the extensive network of victims affected by both nuclear weapons development and testing. 

The casualties and impact of nuclear weapons extend far beyond Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Millions have been affected by the testing and developmental process, including in the Pacific, where affected communities were subjected to hundreds of devastating tests by the United States, United Kingdom, and France. Indigenous communities were also deeply impacted by the Manhattan Project, and many continue to carry the scars of past injustices into the present age. When considered in concert with the legacies of Russian, Chinese, French, Pakistani, and Indian testing, the advent of the nuclear age appears not as a story of scientific triumph, but a tragedy of epic proportions.  

We must all recognize the continued dangers of nuclear weapons. We hope that your film will inspire reinvigorated attention and debate about the role of these arsenals in the modern age, and for that, we thank you for the time and dedication you have taken in portraying this story on the silver screen. We would be remiss, however, if we did not address the long-standing health effects of testing, financial and political disuse, and, of course, the many incidents during which the world was only minutes away from total destruction. We hope this letter has proven informative in this regard. Nuclear weapons continue to pose a critical threat in the modern era irregardless of historical trends, and weapons development has only continued to concretize the destructive potentialities of Oppenheimer’s creation.

Following the release of this film, we ask you, as well as all peoples, to consider how nuclear weapons affect the world. The possession of such weapons represents a fundamental threat, and only through collective action, enlightened decision-making, and active participation through figures like yourself may we finally achieve the nuclear-free world necessary to ensure our continued existence. 

Thank you,

Reverse The Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet