Christopher Nolan says the ending of Oppenheimer has an ‘interesting relationship’ with Inception

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which is set to premiere on July 21, is one of the most awaited films of the year. In a new interview, the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, behind films like Memento and Interstellar, has revealed that the end of Oppenheimer has certain similarities to his highly acclaimed 2010 film Inception. (Also read: Oppenheimer new trailer: Cillian Murphy leads mission to build a bomb that could destroy world. Watch)

About Oppenheimer and Inception

Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy in the lead role as one of the fathers of the atomic bomb and director of the Manhattan Project, J Robert Oppenheimer. It is based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. Meanwhile, Inception is a science fiction drama film that revolves around Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dom Cobb as he attempts to clear his criminal record so that he can return to his family.

Christopher Nolan’s comment

Now, in an interview with Wired, Nolan shared that he thinks the ending for both Oppenheimer and Inception are actually quite alike. He said, “I mean, the end of Inception, it’s exactly that. There is a nihilistic view of that ending, right? But also, he’s moved on and is with his kids. The ambiguity is not an emotional ambiguity. It’s an intellectual one for the audience. It’s funny, I think there is an interesting relationship between the endings of Inception and Oppenheimer to be explored. Oppenheimer’s got a complicated ending. Complicated feelings.”

How does Inception end?

It is interesting to note that the ending of Inception follows Cobb as he passes the immigration checkpoint after which his father-in-law accompanies him home. Cobb then goes on to use Mal’s totem, which is a top that spins indefinitely in a dream, to test if he is indeed in the real world. Yet, he chooses not to observe the result and goes on to join his children.

Oppenheimer also stars Emily Blunt who plays Katherine ‘Kitty’ Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as General Leslie Groves Jr, Robert Downey, Jr as Lewis Strauss from US Atomic Energy Commission, along with Florence Pugh as psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, and filmmaker Benny Safdie as theoretical physicist Edward Teller. It will be released in theatres worldwide on July 21, 2023, the same day as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.