Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan’s daughter is hidden in the film and her role is terrifying

Hitting our theaters this Wednesday, July 19th, Oppenheimer offers one of the biggest casting deals of the year. Interpreted by Cillian Murphy, the physicist who created the atomic bomb, we do get to meet Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett and Kenneth Branagh.

Or Robert Downey Jr., which is his first role after saying goodbye to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (released in early 2020, the journey of Dr. Dolittle was filmed two years earlier). Flora, the eldest daughter of Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, was added to the prestigious cast.

The filmmaker himself revealed his daughter’s cameo in an interview Telegram. By indicating the details of his role, both concise and symbolic. And terrifying.

Hired on a whim by her father while he was visiting her on the set of his new film, she is illustrated in one of the visions of horror that attacks J. Robert Oppenheimer after the first successful test of a nuclear explosion: his character has no name, but it is about this young woman whose face the physicist sees melting and disintegrating before his eyes, terrified of the dramatic consequences that his creation could have.

If you create the ultimate weapon of destruction, it will also destroy those near and dear to you

“We needed someone to play a small role in an experimental and spontaneous sequence”The director and screenwriter explains. “It was great to do it with him”He continues with words that contradict the sinister and symbolic side of this role.

“I honestly try not to analyze my own intentions. But the idea is that if you create the ultimate weapon of destruction, it will also destroy those near and dear to you. I think that was the most powerful way to express myself. To me.”

This is not the first time that the fear of losing one’s family, which is clearly visible in Christopher Nolan, finds an echo in his films, where the concept of mourning is very relevant. From Memento to Tenet, Inception, Interstellar (where Flora Nolan played an extra truckload) or Batman’s initial trauma, this deep fear is often woven into his stories.

Therefore, Oppenheimer is no exception, and this cameo makes the theme of the film even more personal, and the feature film is completely consistent with the work of its author with various themes and motifs.