Tenet

There's this rarely used style of cinema where you're meant to experience a film rather than follow its narrative. Where the enjoyment comes from soaking in its aura rather than "getting it" or tying together plot beats. I could put the likes of Miami Vice with its humid Florida night vibes, or Hard Boiled's operatic action, or even Koyaanisqatsi's impressionistic imagery in this category. Hit play, go with the flow.

Tenet fits comfortably in this camp.

Early in the film, when Clémence Poésy’s Tenet scientist is explaining the concept of reversed entropy and "inverted" objects, she tells our Protagonist what Nolan seems to be telling his audience:

“The bullet would have never moved if you didn't put your hand there. Either way we run the tape you made it happen. Don’t try to understand it. Feel it.”

Instead of wracking your brain to understand what's happening, especially in the second- and third-act set pieces with their entangled forward and reversed characters, just put that into the background and let the vibes wash over you.

During the Oslo freeport heist sequence, you can't even hear the dialogue. The score (which is maybe the best part of the movie) overwhelms the characters' conversation. Nolan makes an attempt at explanation, but lip service only; no need to listen too carefully. Without subtitles on, what's happening is nearly indecipherable. It's like Nolan is telling us "don't worry about it, just go with it."

The film is packed with exposition, proper nouns, rules, missions, logistical conversation, all presented as if it expects to be decoded. But with the muffled dialog, masked characters, forward and reverse character doubles — the film seems deliberately designed to frustrate attempts to understand what's happening. It's as if Nolan wants us to feel the disorientation of inversion without actually grasping the science of it all.

When you watch Tenet (or, rather, experience it) as if it's a ride and not a narrative, it's one of Nolan's most interesting and original projects.