Christopher Nolan recently experienced an unusual film review during his fitness training. In his acceptance speech for best director for “Oppenheimer” at the New York Film Critics Circle on January 4, the 53-year-old discussed his complex relationship with critics and their important role in the film industry.
Nolan, who has always emphasized how much he values professional film reviews, revealed a curious encounter with criticism during a workout session on his Peloton bike. This exercise bike can be used to access fitness courses via the Peloton media library. While he was struggling on the bike, the director was confronted with the words of his fitness trainer who was complaining about one of his films. The trainer had no way of knowing that Nolan himself would eventually take part in her recorded class, and commented on the film “Tenet” (2020): “Has anyone seen that? That’s a few hours of my life that I’ll never get back!”
The work speaks for itself
In his speech, Christopher Nolan discussed the challenges directors face when exposing themselves to public reviews. He noted that his love for the profession has deepened in recent years as the rise of social media and other channels has transformed every casual moviegoer into a reviewer with a platform to express his or her opinion. The 53-year-old emphasized the importance of objective criticism and pointed out that it is often up to film critics to convey context and meaning to viewers. Still, the director also said, “We live in a world where the person receiving the story has the right to say what it means to them.” Nolan continued: “It means that the work in itself should speak himself. It’s not about what I say it is. It’s all about how you take it. In this world, the role of the professional critic or interpreter and the person trying to convey context to the reader is incredibly important. I have never been more grateful for careful, thoughtful and thoughtful writing about one of my films than I was with ‘Oppenheimer.’
See the speech here:
The Peloton trainer reports on Instagram
Jenn Sherman, the fitness trainer, later responded to Nolan’s “revelations.” In a video on Instagram, she explained that it was one of her 2020 courses. She confessed to not understanding the complex plot of “Tenet.” Nevertheless, she invited the director to a fitness workout together, this time without harsh words.
See the Instagram video here:
“Oppenheimer” received some of the best reviews of the director’s career and is considered the most financially successful biopic of all time.