Barbenheimer

My daughter and I enjoyed Barbie more than we expected. I never liked the doll. Perfect in every way, a flawless personification of someone who could be, become anyone she wanted. Nothing was impossible for Barbie. She had it all, beauty, brains, love, success, happiness, which to me was unrealistic. But the movie took a realistic turn encouraging the viewers to scratch beneath the surface and search for your true, inner self. Which is what Barbie does in the movie, after her imaginary world falls apart.

Interestingly, Oppenheimer is also the inner struggle of the great physicist when his creation’s destructive end dawns on him. He is crucified by the very government which spread the red carpet for him when they needed him to create the atomic bomb. It is a heart-breaking portrayal of how he zealously focuses on creating the bomb, because he firmly believed in the greater good of his creation. And in 1949, when Truman approached the commission about creating a hydrogen bomb, Oppenheimer true to his inner self, equally fervently opposed it and continued to oppose till the end.

Both films received widespread acclaim and exceeded box-office expectations. With

seemingly endless differences, some media commentators have pointed out a few similarities between them. Both films explore existentialism and what truly defines the person, and the role of self-awareness.

I loved both the movies. I struggled to understand Oppenheimer and grasp the poignancy or inner conflict of the great man. Both the movies were conveying the same message, Barbie nudging us to know thyself, and Oppenheimer exhorting us to be true to thyself.