In 2020 Christopher Nolan came out with a movie called Tenet. Within this movie there are many themes that encapsulate Marxists and Neo Marxism theories. To give preference on what the movie is about and how it relates to our themes in Marxism here is a brief synopsis. Andrei Sator is a man who works for the CIA and is given a task to save the world from World War 3. Andrei is only given one word and soon meets a friend named Neil who is tasked to help Andrei and knows Andrei from the future. The movie uses "Inversions" which allow objects people to move backwards in present time. Throughout the movie Andrei is trying to stop a group of International elitists who want to take over the world with their new found Inversion power. While Andrei is trying to stop this group and save the world in the present. The group of elitist come from the future and are upset about what hand they were dealt and want to change the past to create a better future for themselves. With trying to do this they could cause havoc even further.
While the Tenet the movie has many themes two themes stick out as Andrei represents the Neo-Marxism aspect as Andrei is the hero who has to figure out things as he goes he has a strong moral compass. Andrei represents the "common" person as he uses his will to save the world. Neil, the character who helps Andrei, also represents Neo Marxism as he was someone who came from a hard life to a hero's life as he saves Andrei in the end. Sellnow says it best as “Neo-Marxist perspective helps expose how material conditions and economic practices shape dominant ideology regarding taken-for-granted assumptions about who '' ought to be'' and "ought not to be" empowered.” From Andrei's perspective the elitist group should not be able to use inversion to their advantage and that all should be able to have free will.
While we have touched on Neo Marxism there is also Marxism as the elitist group is wanting to take over the world and keep people in their own class. The group wants to use the inversion power to make sure that people in the present get what they deserve, being the people in the future they know how life gets and want to try to create a “better” society for themselves by using inversion to change history.
Overall the movie Tenet has some deep concepts on Neo Marxism and Marxism and my question comes to mind: what would I do if I was in Andrei’s situation? Would I follow my moral compass?
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