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*Article Contains Spoilers For Oppenheimer*

“A strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work,” is how Oxford Languages defines the term ambition. It’s one of the many concepts the world was built upon, and as such, it’s an integral part of many things the world has produced. Anything from cooking to architecture has some root in the ambition of man, their many ideas and thoughts directly leading to the great diversity found in both. All this is to say that ambition is a topic that has its footprints in almost everything you can think of, and considering how universal it is, it isn’t surprising that works of entertainment would dive deep into the concept. Enter Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a 2023 feature film that details the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer before, during, and following the controversial Manhattan Project (albeit with some fictional and stylistic bits mixed in). This film not only succeeds in being an interesting biography, but it also masterfully conveys how ambition can affect individuals through gorgeous cinematography and excellent character writing. Through this movie, Nolan conveys a short yet deeply layered message: Ambition is horrifying, yet ambition is beautiful.

Oppenheimer’s Ambition

At the beginning of the movie, the titular J. Robert Oppenheimer is certainly ambitious. Despite some difficulties, he genuinely desired to understand the discipline of quantum mechanics and later wanted to bring that knowledge to the United States. The early stages of the film really make this clear through the laser focus put on quantum mechanics as a subject and those knowledgeable about it in the movie’s opening act. That focus, however, shifts as the opening act continues. It reels in the audience with fascinating history and science, but once it has their attention, the film starts to delve into the personality traits and relationships of Oppenheimer. In doing so, viewers can learn a lot about the man himself. He has plenty of acquaintances but not many actual friends; his closest relationship in the opening act would be with his brother Frank, whom he clearly cares for and spends time with. Outside of him, he doesn’t seem to have a deep connection with anyone, but he is notably framed as a womanizer. Other than that, Oppenheimer seems to be a bit tactless, borderline egotistical, and quite a loner in the film’s first hour. This seeming shift in the focus of the film (that shift being from a focus on the world to a character focus) perfectly highlights something to the viewer: Oppenheimer isn’t the best person, and his ambition to advance science is really one of his only positive qualities. That thought isn’t exclusive to the viewers, though; the characters in the film almost break the fourth wall by behaving like they think the same. Robert Oppenheimer, for the entire opening act, is only really acknowledged or spoken of positively in relation to his scientific expertise and intellectual qualities, and thus his character seems to define himself through those things. Oppenheimer’s brilliant beginning hour establishes him not just as ambitious; it frames that ambition as his defining aspect, with any positivity he brings to the world or acceptance he receives having its roots in it. To J. Robert Oppenheimer, his ambition is his purpose and his light, with any other aspect of himself falling secondary to it (and remedying his negative traits). Through that relationship between ambition and person, Christopher Nolan communicates to the viewer how beautiful and positive ambition can be. However, the relationship Oppenheimer has with his ambition drastically changes following the first act. The beauty of ambition is the foundation of this movie, but what it builds up from that foundation is anything but.

Ambition: A Powerful Force

While Oppenheimer’s first act really details the relationship between Robert and his ambition and thus highlights the beautiful aspect of ambition, the film’s second act (everything taking place during and around the Manhattan Project at that point in the movie) delves deep into the dangers of ambition. By doing that, it communicates to the audience that the concept isn’t some beacon of light but a neutral force that can spread both positivity and negativity into the world.

Loss Of Control

The first danger the movie presents about ambition is how easy it is to lose control of it. This is expertly detailed in the beginning of the second act, where Oppenheimer becomes aware that the Nazis have found a potential method to make an atomic bomb. The danger that prospect insinuates causes him to feel that the only plausible response is to build a weapon of mass destruction before them; the gravity of the situation robs him of choice, which also robs him of control over his ambition to make strides in scientific fields. How non-judgmental this part of the movie is is notable, as it doesn’t put any action in a positive or negative light, a stark contrast to the first act. Instead, the movie just focuses on the tragedy of Oppenheimer and other scientists channeling their ambition into something they don’t want to create. With one single event, the way their ambition manifests in the world is rendered out of their control, something that particularly hurts Oppenheimer because something that was once his light is starting to harm other aspects of his life. His relationship with his infant child and wife has to take a back seat so he can focus on doing what he can to create the atomic bomb. His now out-of-control ambition is now not simply driving how he lives his life but outright determining it. In displaying this danger, the film really shows its audience what the world can possibly do to one’s ambition, taking control of it and controlling people through their grand goals.

Restrictiveness

The other major danger Oppenheimer displays in its second act is the danger of letting ambition restrict oneself. This is another thing that the film first establishes in the beginning of the second act, and it’s used both as a tool for thematic depth and a core character trait for Robert. The film does make it feel tragic that Oppenheimer feels he has lost control of his ambition and is using it for something he’d rather not create, but the key part about that tragedy is that he is never portrayed as a true victim. This is because he always had a choice; he never had to help create the atomic bomb; he could’ve turned down the offer to be part of the Manhattan Project. But the fact is that he doesn’t; his dedication to the ambition of advancing science restricts him to one option, therefore creating a self-imposed tragedy. As stated in the previous subsection, the Manhattan Project does negatively impact other parts of his life, allowing the film to demonstrate that being so slavishly driven by ambition can eventually restrict people’s life choices.

The Silent Destroyer

The final act of Oppenheimer is nothing short of a catastrophe (As in what happens to characters; the movie itself is at its best in the final act). As the last part of the plot is revealed to the audience, the sheer magnitude of what ambition can do to people is also made clear. It’s still a neutral force in the third and final act of the film, but the way it can negatively impact people is the core of this part of the movie. It can be someone’s light; it can be dangerous if overvalued, but in the film’s final hour, ambition is portrayed in a different light than ever; it is the silent destroyer.

Oppenheimer’s Ambition Realized

The third act of the movie begins with Oppenheimer realizing his ambition to advance science, just not in the way he would have liked to do so. The atomic bomb works and is shipped off for military usage following its successful testing. Robert seems happy for a while, and it makes sense considering he’s just created a revolutionary piece of technology. However, through beautiful dialogue and masterful cinematography, the viewer gains some perspective on how he feels about the matter. Oppenheimer is starting to comprehend the gravity of his creation, and that gravity causes him to feel like he has “blood on his hands”, as he says to President Truman at one point. This ultimately leads to him speaking against the Hydrogen Bomb Program, something that he worries would cause mass militarization precisely because of how the atom bomb impacted the world. Throughout all these various events, one thing is painfully clear: Oppenheimer has been defined by the atomic bomb following its creation. He was no longer J. Robert Oppenheimer but rather the father of the atomic bomb, and that title especially hurts him in the very last part of the film. His being put on a rigged pseudo-trail and his feeling like he damaged the world at large are both at least somewhat related to the atomic bomb and his reputation as its creator. By letting his ambition control so much of his life, Oppenheimer went on to be defined by that ambition and how it affected the world. The film displays this not just to be authentic but also to show how letting one thing have so much power over one’s life will allow that thing to eventually dictate that life. If somebody isn’t ready to have their life dictated in that manner, then they will be ruined, and J. Robert Oppenheimer is a shining example of that.

Conclusion

To summarize, Christopher Nolan’s film “Oppenheimer” tackles the many ways ambition can affect people through the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer. His ambition is his light, later a dangerous yet driving force in his life, and finally the thing that would ruin his life. It’s a fascinating tale that paints both the beauty of ambition and the horrifying effects it can have in vivid detail. Through this movie, the audience learns that ambition is a neutral force that can hold astonishing power over people. Oppenheimer is not only a fantastic movie; it also encourages its viewers to carefully consider their relationship to their ambitions and the effects that relationship may have on them.