Netflix shows the other side of “Oppenheimer”: premieres series about the consequences of the atomic bomb

“Oppenheimer” was crowned the big winner of the 2024 Oscars, winning seven statuettes, including some of the most important ones, such as Best Picture and Best Director.

A little less than a week after the awards, Netflix is ​​premiering a documentary series that delves into the history of the atomic bomb and the impact that Robert Oppenheimer’s invention has had to this day.

After ‘Oppenheimer’ triumph at Oscars, Netflix premieres documentary series about atomic bomb

On March 12, the streaming platform released “Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War” (“Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War” in Spanish), a documentary series by Brian Knappenberger that, as its name suggests, focuses on the aftermath of the creation of the atomic bomb, with a particular emphasis on the Cold War.

The final episodes jump back to the present day, questioning whether this stage of history has truly ended and depicting the latent danger of using nuclear weapons.

The Netflix documentary series has 9 episodes, featuring interviews with world leaders such as Volodymyr Zelenski, president of Ukraine. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General; Robert Gates, former CIA Director, and Condoleezza Rice, former US Secretary of State.

In 2021, Knappenberger had already collaborated with Netflix for the documentary “Tipping Point: 9/11 and the War on Terrorism.”

Differences between the film “Oppenheimer” and “Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War”

Although both works focus on critical moments in 20th century history, there are many aspects that separate them.

First, Christopher Nolan’s film is a dramatization of the life of the father of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer, based on the book American Prometheus. For its part, the Netflix series is a documentary that, rather, shows the consequences of the scientist.

While the award-winning film focuses on the life and moral questions of the director of the Manhattan Project, “Tipping Point: The Bomb and the Cold War” focuses on the following years on a global level (as already mentioned, it even reaches the present day).

In that sense, the Netflix series serves more as a complement to the film starring Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, among others.

Let us know in the comments if, after watching ‘Oppenheimer’, you’re interested in learning more about the atomic bomb and whether you’ll be watching the Netflix documentary series.