Three Timelines, One Story: The Structure of Dunkirk

     

One of my favorite all-time films is Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan. Although the film seems nothing more than another war movie, the structure makes it feel like something completely new.

I was immediately drawn in by how there were multiple elements used to tell the story being land, air, and finally sea. Each move at a different pace, and with the lack of dialogue during the movie, it was complicated to follow at first, but as the story continues, each element is used together to build up to the final climax. 

To set up the rising action, we are first introduced to the land element, where thousands of soldiers are trapped at Dunkirk, hoping for an escape back to the UK. Nolan uses this perspective to make time feel slow and gurgling, showing close and intimate danger while also creating a sense of desperation. Then we move to the sea, where we see a group of civilians trying to sail from the UK to Dunkirk to hopefully save at least some soldiers. This journey happens over a day, but still shows the courage of each civilian. Finally, we see the pilot whose entire scene happens during an hour, but its pacing makes each minute high intensity.

 As the film reaches the climax, each one of these elements is woven together, where the rescuing at sea impacts the soldiers on land, giving them hope, while the fighting against the German planes wreaking havoc adds to this. The effect is powerful as each element is seen as its own protagonist, with the viewer having a connection to each of them, creating a moving climax.

Dunkirk's structure goes against simple storytelling and is one that allows us to feel each scene of chaos or triumph within every element. Each perspective adds depth to the piece, transforming it into more than simply a movie about history.

Left: Land Perspective
Middle: Sea Perspective
Right: Air Perspective