Director of ‘House of Dynamite’ defends ambiguous ending: ‘Global problem’

Recent launch of Netflix, Dynamite House arrived on streaming last Friday, the 24th, and was among the most watched films in recent days. The film is divided into three chapters, which portray different perspectives of the same situation: a nuclear missile detected by radar threatens to hit the city of Chicago, in the United States. US authorities have just 18 minutes to prevent total destruction.

Mixing thriller and suspense, the film’s development creates an atmosphere of extreme tension, in which the plot unfolds in real time, in a true race against time, while the dynamic cinematography makes the viewer feel like they are part of the situation. The narrative delves into the US government’s crisis management mechanisms, while the soundtrack refers to the ticking of a bomb and reinforces the imminent danger.

The all-star cast, made up of Rebecca Ferguson, Anthony Ramos and Idris Elba (as President of the USA) experiences a series of stressful events. However, the end of the film is abrupt and ambiguous, and was considered by many to be “anticlimactic”. The filmmakers’ bold decision not to reveal the outcome of the plot’s two main questions — whether the missile was detonated or not, and what the presidential response was — generated controversy among critics and the public.

David Fearfrom the Rolling Stonewrote in a review that the ending “was designed to avoid the resolution and make viewers suppress their cries of ‘Wait a minute, seriously?’”. Check out some comments made by viewers on social media:

“I can’t imagine anyone defending this horrible structure, which [a diretora] were you thinking?! Furthermore, the lack of an ending was a complete disappointment.”

“I found this film quite frustrating, because it had everything to be great.”

“The worst, most unsatisfactory and most disappointing end of the year, with no conclusion whatsoever.”

“It could have been good! The first act is strong, the second not so much, and the third is sooooo bad.”

In an interview with Decide (via People), the screenwriter Noah Oppenheim said that the end of Dynamite House It is intended as an invitation to a conversation. He stated that he has answers in mind for both of the film’s questions, but they are irrelevant to the issues the story wants to raise.

“The first [questão] is: should a single person have the power to decide the fate of all humanity, with little preparation and only a few minutes to decide, while simultaneously fleeing for his own life? That should be scary enough, regardless of what happens next”, he comments.

The director Kathryn Bigelow73 years old, also defends the controversial ending. The political-military theme is a constant in his works: Bigelow was the first woman to win the Oscar of Best Directionin 2011, by War on Terror (2010). On Dynamite Houseshe hopes the ending serves as a starting point for discussions.

“I want audiences to leave theaters thinking, ‘Okay, now what?’ This is a global problem and, of course, I have a small hope that perhaps one day we will be able to reduce the nuclear arsenal,” he said. Bigelow. “But in the meantime, we’re really living in a house of dynamite. That’s the explosion we’re interested in — the conversation people will have about the film afterwards.”

She states that her objective with the work was to criticize the fragility of the current political system, and this is the true antagonist. “I wanted the audience to delve into the ambiguity at the heart of the nuclear debate: how can we call this defense when the result could very well be total destruction?” Venice Film Festival.

To Oppenheimregardless of the outcome imagined by the viewer, he or she has already watched a horror scenario unfold. “In the real world, these weapons and all the processes you just saw are still lurking in our lives”, he criticizes. “Are we comfortable with this reality or should we be doing something about it?”

Dynamite House is now available in the catalog Netflix. Check out the official trailer below:

• Anthony Ramos

• Dynamite House

• Idris Elba

• kathryn bigelow

• Rebecca Ferguson