"Tenet": an enigmatic trailer unveils Christopher Nolan's new film
Christopher Nolan has a new film: "Tenet". For the moment, the trailer has only been released in cinemas. It lasts 40 seconds and suggests that this is an action-spy epic in which the filmmaker juggles with time.
When the trailer for "Tenet" was shown before the film "Hobbs & Shaw", the people in the room were surprised. It's true that the trailer was never announced.
What's even more surprising is that the trailer is only being shown in cinemas. At Nolan's request. Why? Nolan loves cinema. For him, there's no better way to discover a film than to see it in the cinema, and the same goes for trailers. Nolan underlines his wish by saying explicitly against the first release of films on streaming platforms.
I started in the 90s and I can't stand it when films are released directly to video and DVD. This phenomenon existed in the past and was always a sign of bad films that the studios didn't believe in. So offering films directly on streaming portals is nothing new. The only thing new is passing it off as innovation.
Nolan is therefore following a different path to his famous colleagues such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese or J. J. Abrams. They have already contractually committed to producing films exclusively for streaming providers such as Netflix or Apple TV Plus.
The trailer for "Tenet"
According to a detailed description from Screenrant.com, first we see bulletproof glass with a bullet hole. On the other side, we see the character played by actor John David Washington slowly making his way towards the hole.
Then, the screen goes black.
First card: "the time has come for a new protagonist."
Source: Focus Features
The trailer again shows Washington's character heading towards impact. But he looks further away than before.
The screen goes black again.
Second card: "the time has come for a new type of mission."
Washington reappears and hits impact before new text on a black background monopolises the image stating:
"a Christopher Nolan film."
Still Washington moving to the right, towards a second hole. Black screen. Another box: "John David Washington". Then we see exactly the same passage again: Washington moving from the first hole to the second, as if he were in a time loop.
Then, he touches the screen.
He then hits the impact. Then the screen goes black and the title of the film "Tenet" appears upside down and spinning anti-clockwise. Does this mean that time is somehow going crazy? Is the Nolan-style film "Memento" also told in reverse?
Then follows a staccato of short extracts. They show the actor in a completely different location. Washington in military gear-type clothing. Washington beating the crap out of someone in a lift.
The trailer for "Tenet" ends with Washington wearing an oxygen mask. A door opens in front of him.
Source: Warner Bros.
That's it. Little is known about the film itself. Just that it's an action epic set in the world of international espionage. Christopher Nolan directed the film from his script. The production budget is huge at $225 million - Nolan's most expensive film to date. As well as Washington, the cast also includes Elizabeth Debicki, Robert Pattinson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kenneth Branagh, Clémence Poésy, Dimple Kapadia and Michael Caine.
The film will be released in cinemas on 17 July 2020.
I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»