The Barbieheimer Phenomenon

Last Sunday night we finally went and saw Oppenheimer.

I have to admit, I was more than a little disappointed.

Perhaps a percentage of this disappointment stemmed from the overstimulation and sensory bombardment I was feeling regularly throughout the movie, leading me to literally give myself a face massage afterwards to relieve the tension that was held in my forehead as a result.

More likely, however, the disappointment came from the fact that I went in with super high expectations---and walked out of the theater scratching my head. What happened???

Don't get me wrong, Oppenheimer is certainly a movie of quality that provokes deep moral questions. The visuals are quite stunning, and of course Cillian Murphy is a brilliant actor.

I didn't hate it. But, I also did not love it.

I was left with more questions than answers.

Why, for instance, did Kitty end up staying with Dr. Oppenheimer even after finding out that he blatantly cheated on her -- during their marriage? Why was Kitty depicted as some sort of typical unhappy American housewife with no sort of active role in the film whatsoever? And the only other woman given more than three lines in that film ended up committing suicide---but why don't we ever get to see her backstory other than she used to be a Communist?

You see, I didn't like that theme of passive belonging, as I like to call it.

if I didn't know any better, I would have said the directors and film writers had no idea what to do with Kitty's character at some point and just finally decided, "Screw it."

From what I've heard the Barbie movie, on the other hand, is almost the complete opposite.

**note that I have not seen the Barbie movie yet in person, so no spoilers--but I've received feedback on what themes it covers from a couple trustworthy friends.

The Barbie movie apparently seems to face the whole man vs woman roleplay head on. From what I understand, it addresses the themes of toxic masculinity and what men are "supposed" to do, and how women are "supposed" to behave or respond in kind. It acknowledges that women are their own entity and can make their own choices, and do not (and should not) need to go running around chasing for men.

Though not explicitly, it felt at times as though Oppenheimer was sticking to the antithesis---the one that I mentioned of passive belonging. Kitty's not portrayed as some desperate widow but really, why the need to stay married to the man who cheated? Was that simply the writers sticking to true historic events, or a simple creative twist to represent what many women actually do in the same situation? Because there is "no better option"?

And look--I'm not saying don't go and see Oppenheimer.

You may actually really enjoy it, and I understand that that story was meant to be centered specifically around a male protagonist rather than a female one. So I can respect that. However, I would have loved to see even slightly more active participation in the film from at least Emily Blunt's character.

After all Kitty's last name was Oppenheimer too, wasn't it?

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Resources:

Photo: https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/19/entertainment/oppenheimer-barbie-double-feature-barbenheimer-cec/index.html

Reference: https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/07/25/barbie-oppenheimer-movie-review-gerwig-nolan-trinity-test-feminism/