Return to the Cinema – Share in the Spectacle of Tenet

2020 has been a transformative year for the world, stricken by COVID-19. Even now, as lockdown eases and we find ourselves venturing out once again, many of us are reluctant to return to everyday life. But the cinema is something we need in our lives. And the release of Christopher Nolan’s epic new film Tenet is the perfect reason for us to flock to the cinemas and share in the spectacle.

We’re coming out of one of the most catastrophic crises in recent memory. We have seen lives lost, economies tainted and the talks of a second wave aren’t making it any easier to deal with. We need to adopt a positive mindset if we’re going to get our lives back on track. But how can we focus on putting the world back together if we're too emotionally destroyed by what has already transpired?

That’s where cinema enters the picture.

Cinema has always provided a form of escapism during difficult periods in our history, the World Wars, the Cold War, the War on Terror, and while cinema has often reflected the negative changes in our society, it has remained for the most part a form of escapism. Our world is recovering, but our mentalities have less time. 

We could watch films at home and on Netflix, but the problem with that is we're still watching them under the same circumstances we have been living for the past five months, in isolation, with all the reminders of life's impermanence cluttering the background. You can never really lose yourself at home the way you can in a cinema. As you will when watching Tenet, a film I was privileged to watch at a special 70mm IMAX screening at Vue Manchester Printworks.

Christopher Nolan has always been a big name in cinema since he rebooted the Batman franchise with 2005’s successful Batman Begins, and has followed it up with hit after hit, each one a gleaming testament to his grand vision for cinema. And sitting in the cinema watching Tenet, I was once again immersed into the intrinsic, epic, towering world Nolan constructed where the laws of nature and physics were turned on their head. It is a film I shall certainly be revisiting on many more screenings.

But I got so much more out of that screening than just watching a great film. Sitting in that sold-out (socially distanced) cinema alongside a close friend of mine as well as several other people, all sharing in that feeling of joy and excitement, we were so wrapped up in this fictional world, we forgot about all the problems plaguing us in the real one. We felt connected by the experience in a way you wouldn’t get just through sharing a Facebook message. The pandemic had taken so many things from us, it was reassuring to know that we could still sit in a cinema together and enjoy the shared experience.

For those of us who are fanatical about film, it is a relief to know that cinema still has a place in the world of today. But the best way to support this industry, to ensure that we are still being treated to new, engaging epics like Tenet, is if we fill those seats. Otherwise, no one will be willing to make these films if no one is willing to see them, and the cinema risks becoming another casualty of the pandemic.

When I think of the need for cinema in a post-COVID-19 world, I'm reminded of Hugh Jackman's speech at the conclusion of Nolan’s magician thriller The Prestige, "The audience knows the truth: the world is simple. It's miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder, and then you got to see something really special."

Cinema takes us out of a world always reminding us of death and despair for a few hours, and when we emerge, having seen an incredible spectacle that caters to the imagination and wish fulfilment, we as an audience find ourselves sharing in an uplifting vision, a sense of kinship in the shared spectacle. Many of us can leave the cinema less inclined to look at the world through jade-tinted glasses.

The world needs cinema now more than ever. It may not be the most social of gatherings but being able to share in that spectacle will make us feel less alone and more energised in making it through these dark days. Precautions are being taken to ensure that people can safely enjoy the cinema without risk of life. For me, as a die-hard cinema lover, I can't go without it. We need to make those tentative steps into the outside world. There is so much to enjoy in cinema, and by frequently attending screenings, united by that theatrical kinship, we keep the magic alive, as cinema continues to sustain us and keep us afloat, a duty it has carried out for a century.

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit various UK Cinema chains throughout August, all of which have had fantastic measures in place. Cineworld, The Light Sheffield and Vue have all provided exceptional service, while ensuring safety measures are in place, and households remain socially distanced within screenings.

While many independent cinemas like the wonderful Showroom Cinema in Sheffield remain closed, it's crucial that we return to support independent venues when they reopen to ensure their survival.

That is why I hope you will all join me in returning to the cinemas, supporting the release of Tenet, and refusing to let the pandemic rob us of the enjoyment that comes from this shared spectacle.