Barbenheimer: Why We Are Obsessed With This Unlikely Double Feature
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
It’s no secret that many cinephiles have looked forward to July 21st, 2023 for quite some time. What started as a joke has become the year’s ultimate filmic pilgrimage: wouldn’t it be neat to watch Greta Gerwig’s Barbie on the exact same day as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, since they are both being released in theatres simultaneously? This was perfect meme fodder online. After the pandemic confined many film lovers to their homes, there has been an urgency to return to the theatres especially since the culture continues to be on the decline (even after films like Top Gun: Maverick set the tone for theatrical experiences during dreary times). A lot of highly anticipated works have experienced major drop-offs, which is a major concern. With the union strike that will likely set movie theatre culture back even more (blame the studios and producers, not the actors and writers), we seem to be heading in the wrong direction again. These are dire times for cinemas, and it’s breaking my heart.
That’s precisely why something as silly as Barbenheimer (the phenomenon involving both Barbie and Oppenheimer as the ideal double billing of 2023) is exactly what the world of cinema needed. Once Nolan changed studios for the first time (a retaliation to Warner Bros.’ insistence that all of their 2021 programming would head straight to streaming and skip the movie houses entirely), he abandoned the studio that has brought his films to life for twenty years in favour of Universal Pictures. Oppenheimer’s release date was set first. It is speculated that Warner Bros., in charge of distributing Barbie, planned to release their film on the exact same date to spite Nolan (of course now Warner Bros. isn’t opposed to theatrical releases…). This naturally bothered Nolan who initially saw Barbie as a loss in sales for his own film. I don’t think Nolan is the greedy type, but it’s an understandable response when all things cinema have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and many are looking towards finally earning money back again.
The internet couldn’t care less about this side of the story. Instead, two films were highly coveted. Christopher Nolan has acted as the bridge between mainstream blockbusters and arthouse cinema for nearly his entire career, as snobs (like myself) can have some action-related fun with his films whilst not needing to turn off our brains, and fun-seeking buffs get more than just standard popcorn fare. His films have always begged to be seen on the biggest screens possible. On the other hand, is Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. It has been obvious since day one that this wouldn’t be a traditional, Mattel-controlled affair since Gerwig has been the champion of indie, feminist filmmaking even before she started directing (she was a mumblecore star for years), so her approach to this seemingly-commercial project has been a curious one (especially since she overtook the project from the Amy-Schumer-leading vehicle that once was). Movie buffs that want excitement and scale had their fix, but so did the smaller, indie film crowd, and yet it was almost as if their intended films were speaking to the opposite demographics; Gerwig was making a film as mainstream as she has ever touched, and Nolan was making a biographical picture — about physicist Julius Robert Oppenheimer — that would usually be aimed at the critical crowd. This was only the start.
“The power to change the world has been inside you all along.” - Barbie, Barbie in Princess Power.
What began as a cute hypothetical suddenly garnered steam online. The pandemic may be over but hybrid working conditions still remain, and that granted many online dwellers the ample time needed to dream about this strange double feature. The writing was on the wall for that, since it initially appeared humorous to combine these two films. Yet the fascination behind their duality began to emerge. On paper, Barbie was always advertised for girls and the entire empire sports a hot pink exterior that catches your attention instantly. Oppenheimer’s story is a grim one as the scientist was tasked with partaking in the Manhattan Project and ultimately creating the atomic bomb: the ultimate weapon that can destroy all of humanity as we know it. Barbara Millicent Roberts — whom we all know as “Barbie” — is capable of doing anything as a doll. You can dress her up in the uniform of all professions, inspiring children to become whatever they set their young minds to. Oppenheimer is a reminder that, while anything may be possible, we must restrain ourselves as a civilization because there is such a thing as “too far”. Barbie is the innocence of our youths with our whole lives ahead of us; Oppenheimer’s revelations force us to stare death in its face and accept that our own mortality is imminent.
As the world continues to be politically divided and heated, these two films work their magic furthermore. One escape that has taken people by storm is this addiction to nostalgia, and Barbie has it in spades. One feels like a kid again when their world is surrounded by the neon colours of Barbie’s world (and that Aqua song manages to redirect itself into the pits of your brain as soon as you read those two words). You are reminded of simpler times when we didn’t have to worry about bills, prospects, and health. Your parents likely bought you your dolls, and yet playing with these figures made you want to get more. Barbie is now a doctor because she is donning the proper clothes and equipment. “But today is a different day and I want her to be an astronaut. I need to get her the proper spacesuit and technology to allow her to travel to the stars above. Please can I have Barbie’s space gear, Mom and Dad?” As an adult, you can buy whatever doll you want whenever you desire. I’ve purchased many toys from my youth that I lost or yearned for. I’m even itching to pick up my very first Barbie doll: a David Bowie special that is available on eBay. Nostalgia never dies.
The story of Oppenheimer brings us back to reality and reminds us of looming dread: something we have felt all too well this past decade. Whether it is the economic crises that keep kicking us while we are down, the threats of world-stopping pandemics or concerns, or political and military calamities, society hasn’t seemed all too cheerful for quite some time. In fact, people haven’t been this plagued with existentialism in years. Between the planet heating up, inflation making the cost of living unbearable, jobs being threatened and lost left right and centre, countries tearing each other (and even themselves) apart, and so many other nauseating miasmas, we’re reminded of the hostility of civilization and the experience of living on an hourly basis (thanks to social media, for starters). Maybe that’s why we keep referring to the past: we can’t face our present. Who can even fathom looking ahead to the future when many believe there won’t even be one?
The dichotomy between Barbie and Oppenheimer seems a lot more cacophonic, with the pink, youthful, former film seemingly speaking directly to kids and girls with pure bliss, while the cold, epic, macho vibe of the latter appeals to adults and super serious men. However, both labels are undermining and misunderstanding both films entirely. Gerwig’s Barbie is a self-aware satire where the titular character learns that she is in a Barbie dream world and that there is a “real” world out there. She becomes alert in a meta way that her entire existence is fabricated and all of her joys have been sold to her; her life is a lie. I’m not sure what the extent of this revelation is yet, but it’s clear that Gerwig wanted to explore more than just Barbie as a memory. This is a Barbie for our generation and our times: a wiser take on a famous property that could have easily settled for being a cash grab during a time when the film industry is hurting. Similarly, Oppenheimer is reportedly the most humanistic film that Nolan has ever made. it’s about understanding the physicist inside and out, why he was led to make the atomic bomb, his regrets and paranoia, and the state of the world that likely made this invention feel like the right thing to make for at least a fraction of a second (when, in hindsight, it shoved humanity into a new, dark chapter).
With these deep explorations in mind, both Barbie and Oppenheimer actually work harmoniously. I have joked with loved ones for months that both films are perfect for each other because they mark the potential end of civilization (either through late-stage capitalism or nuclear fallout), but these parallels aren’t really that distant from each other. The humour fades but the chemistry between these two films doesn’t. They are both features made by established, respected filmmakers that have had the same thoughts we sadly all have lately: is our own time coming? Is life as we know it going to disappear forever? It’s almost a reminder that life is too short, and we suddenly feel that itch to go back to the theatres again; if not for good, at least for this anticipated Barbenheimer double feature. Everybody has that fear of missing out. The main thing to remember is that it is likely that neither film will cancel the other out, because those who wanted to only watch one or the other will likely do so (in fact, they may fear that the cinemas will sell out for this whole Barbenheimer thing and want to secure their seat before they lose their chance). Otherwise, most people want to catch both films.
Ignoring franchises and sequels and the like, the last time there was a must-see event like this was God knows when. You can make a case for projects like James Cameron’s Titanic or Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but I honestly don’t think we’ve seen film events that truly stopped the world like society once did decades ago. With home releases, the internet, and streaming allowing us to view whatever we want whenever we want, we’ve lost that unity we once had with film and television. The theatrical spectacle of yesteryear is all but gone. Barbenheimer is possibly the first such case for many, and a reminder of the cinematic event that united everyone (and I do mean everyone, not just comic book fans or franchise obsessives) that once was. We all have a collective mindset as well: we long for that fun escape with Barbie, but also kind of want to peak at the hideousness of reality via Oppenheimer. At the same time, both films help the other out; Barbie also reminds us that the world is a damning place, and Oppenheimer tries to bring some heart and soul to a history lesson that is frequently thought of as horrific and cold.
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds".”-Vishnu and J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Both films mark the downsides of the American Dream: you can never truly have it all, and it can all be taken away at an instance that is out of your control. Those with more power will either turn dream lives into unaffordable conquests, or they will dangle the possible demise of entire nations over our heads and demand that we nod and obey. Both films mark the bigger game of life that is rigged against most of us. We cannot buy into these scenarios and outcomes we granted Barbie when we were kids. If Oppenheimer didn’t lead us to the possibility of a doomsday device (even if unintentionally), then someone else would have. There’s a chance that Oppenheimer aspired for something greater before getting entwined in his notorious project, and odds are someone made their Barbie dolls do bad things (lord knows I turned my sisters’ doll house into a haunted mansion when I was a kid), so there’s something about the projection of dreams and self versus outcomes that can be gathered here as well. We’ve weathered a lot between recessions and outbreaks, and COVID-19 was a wake-up call for many when it comes to the self-awareness of our own health and fragility (as beings, as societies, as economic structures, as spirits). I feel like Barbie and Oppenheimer being produced when they were makes perfect sense, given their natures and what they represent. Them being released on the same day — perhaps as a ploy by Warner Bros. — is sadly also unsurprising.
For once, we are united with joy and understanding. Nolan was previously opposed to this shared release date, yet he has come around and has begun to anticipate this cinematic event. Cillian Murphy is a notorious recluse who has also gone public to champion this double feature and Barbie overall. It’s no shocker that Gerwig and Robbie quickly bought their Oppenheimer tickets the first day possible and showed their purchases to the world via social media. This only extends further. Top Gun: Maverick star Tom Cruise was also an early celebrity subscriber to this double-billing extravaganza, and his own film Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One is in theatres and will likely take a hit from this event; he is supporting Barbenheimer nonetheless (he may truly be a champion of cinephiles going back to the theatres after all). What could have been a contest between two studio productions out of greed has become a joint release of love and excitement. With both films receiving rave reviews (we will have reviews of both come next week), this looks to be a double feature that is actually worthwhile after all.
Collectively, these two films seem like a comedically jarring pairing, but they really are almost a perfect couple when you really think of the larger picture. We are having fun and heading to the cinemas again for two coveted, adored, acclaimed motion pictures, but we are also having this cathartic experience: one that reminds us that plastic will outlive us when the apocalypse hits, and our designs of evil and greed will likely be our cause of extinction. Barbie provides a sarcastic hyperbolic look at materialism while still honouring the childhood memories of millions of viewers. Oppenheimer doesn’t scoff at those wrapped up in a particularly hideous chapter of the twentieth century and it acknowledges that history lessons have already said enough on the aftermath: it’s time to understand how we got there and learn if we will do so again. Nothing about either film is black or white. It’s ironic, but Barbie is obsessed with the grey area caught in the middle of capitalistic guilt and fun-filled splendour, while Oppenheimer vows to apply some warmth and rosiness to figures that were only ever associated with obsidian morbidness (well, as much as the always-calculated Nolan is willing to inject, anyway).
We are escaping our realities but observing them at the same time. We are indulging in the past, either through childhood recognition or historical education. We fear the present as we have real fears breathing down our necks throughout this five-hour endeavour. We perhaps have hope for the future. Cinema is in good hands. We are back in theatres together, and maybe a double feature like Barbenheimer is the final nail in the pandemic coffin: we’re out and about for good. Then again, we can only dream of hope. Which film do you start with? Do you taste disaster first with Oppenheimer and then chase your sadness away with the fun-filled Barbie? Or do you dream with Gerwig’s latest feature and then wake up to how things were and continue to be with Nolan’s cautionary biopic? Regardless, you will likely exit the cinema the same way: chuffed that you actually pulled off the worshipped Barbenheimer double feature, blown away by whatever you just watched in whichever order (hopefully), and on another planet before you gradually come back to Earth and remember that our home — one full of both magnificent art and entertainment, and unbelievable atrocities and circumstances — is such a place where both Barbie and Oppenheimer can exist. Human beings can create such awful things, but they’re capable of wonders, too. We frown upon our mistakes and try to promise better things for the next generation. Whether we look at historical or plastic figures, we have a lot to think about when it comes to the human experience. This is our opportunity to get the full spectrum of humanity, from lifeless grey to vibrant pink.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.