What is faith? When you sit back and you really think about it - what is faith? When you have your answer, keep reading.

Since July 25th, I haven't written a thing. No film reviews, no progress on screenplays - hardly even an email. The reason for that is because the past few weeks, I've been mourning, thinking and searching for the strength to not hang my head. Loss has innumerable effects; it disoriented me, disconnected me from my pleasures and damn near made me question my faith. I could not understand why what was happening was happening. I always thought faith was the answer, a sort of infallible peace or an escape from life's hardships. In working through my biggest loss in life, I've come to realize that that is not the case. Faith, at times, can be quite the paradox. It can be deafeningly loud, yet painstakingly quiet. It can be simple, yet complex. It can help us look to the future or encourage us to look to the past. But faith and its by-products only manifest...if you believe. And I would've never expected, after months of distancing from people and my cinematic passions, to walk into a movie theater and understand faith at a more intelligent level thanks to a "spy" film titled Tenet. (Tenet...like religious tenets? Right! Crazy.)

[If you read my reviews, you know this is the part where I give a synopsis. You also know I try not to spoil things. However, understanding the film's "scientific" basis hopefully aids you more than it hurts you, so I'm going to try and give a synopsis for the physics as well.]

In this "twilight" world of international espionage, The Protagonist (John David Washington) finds himself bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on the front line of the organization that recruited him - "Tenet". He dives in, joining forces with an adroit playboy named Neil (Robert Pattinson) and troubled appraiser named Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) to accomplish his task: prevent a voracious Russian oligarch with unrivaled access and abilities from starting a new world war. The only way for The Protagonist to accomplish this task? Master the art of "time inversion".

[SPOILER ALERT: Here, I will attempt to give a brief overview of "time inversion" as it appears in Tenet.]

Okay, so...forgive me if this sounds goofy, it's 2:51am and I saw the movie six hours ago. Essentially, in the "Tenetsphere", it is not time that inverts. Nor, is it the world or history. What inverts (meaning "moves in the opposite direction") are individuals. Individuals do not "time travel" - they simply go backwards. So, they are not pressing some button and teleporting to a point in time. Using specific technology, individuals can live their own lives and see their own worlds in reverse from one (previous) moment to the next (previous) moment. They have to live...in reverse. They have to envision things...backwards. They must feel...the opposite of what is before them. If an individual wants to go "back in time" to three days prior, they have to literally live three days...in reverse (again, enabled by specific technology). However, they are able to do so with their advantageous present most knowledge (i.e. "future" knowledge as it relates to any previous point before the point at which they decide to "invert" and move backwards in time). On top of that, there is a focus on the concept of "entropy", which is where this science begins to get "realer", but I won't divulge anymore. Remember - this does not have to make sense in real life - it only has to make sense in the "Tenetsphere"...my brain hurts too. As an easter egg, "tenet" is also the same read forwards as it is backwards. Yeah, it's a whole thing.

[End of intended spoiler-esque explanations.]

Point blank: This was a mind-f*** of epic proportions that's got (most of) the meat and potatoes of a classic Nolan work of art. I loved this movie. Here's three reasons to see it and one reason to not see it.

Here's three reasons to watch Tenet:

1. (Hollywood's Up-and-Coming) Who's Who

Gonna start with the most impressive cast member: John David Washington. Most prominently known for his roles in the television show Ballers and film BlacKkKlansman, my boy JDW has hit the scene with an undeniably pithy persona and inviting charisma that we can likely thank his father Denzel for. He is his father's son: the matter-of-fact delivery of wit and humor, the almost tangible desire to act bigger than the screen will allow and straight talent shows us the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. What tickles me most is that JDW, much like his father, made a visible decision as soon as he got his "big break". Once he saw the door to stardom begin to crack open, he immediately found almost any and every way to demonstrate a young man's physicality and take advantage of the innate allure that audiences experience when the main character can handle a gun. Because I have less of an idea who JDW "is", I was able to believe him to be and drawn to his character of "The Protagonist" in Tenet as grandly and whimsically as I did with Denzel in Training Day. But, here, JDW's a good guy, so that makes it all the more enjoyable. Given a slow year for blockbusters, I wouldn't be surprised if he got a nod for several high-praise awards. He's got the chops. He's got the individuality. He's got the name. JDW is up next.

Now, let's talk about his co-star, Robert Pattinson. I, like you, really only knew him from the Twilight films before last year or so. I had no interest in a teen vampire. Then, I saw him in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when he s**** Harry's g*** and I said, "Damn, Cedric Diggory!" Now, out of nowhere, the guy is climbing the staircase to (reinvigorated, serious) stardom alongside JDW. His high-octane performance in Good Time went overlooked by many despite a lengthy slot on Netflix. Then, his dark and intense performance in The Lighthouse opposite of Willem Dafoe only gained traction with the indie-lovers and real fans. However, none of that matters in comparison to his impending role as the next Bruce Wayne in The Batman, set to release next year. Easily considered one of the most prestigious roles in cinematic history, Robert Pattinson has earned that opportunity. He's demonstrated his ability to be brooding, wild, off-putting, inviting and smooth, all of which come together onscreen in Tenet. He and JDW display a lovable chemistry that could make a viewer like myself believe these two are friends in real life; we always like that kind of thought, as it helps us anchor ourselves in something seemingly real (amidst a wild "Tenetsphere").

Additionally, Elizabeth Debicki brought a sense of elegance to the screen that was refreshingly on-point. When she spoke, I could hear confidence and strength deep down inside her, even when masked in imposed reservations. Her sinister counterpart and the film's antagonist, Kenneth Branagh, did an equally impressive job playing the raucous villain. He may be a bit overbearing at times, but that's okay because most stereotypical Russian villains are overbearing in movies and his intensity, coupled with Nolan's signatures, kept things interesting.

Bonus: the guy from Kick-Ass is in this. No, for real, that guy (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is in this movie and I didn't recall where I knew him from until literally the very end. He did his thang thizzle.

2. (Nolan's Classic) What's What

You would think a guy whose films have pulled in $4.7 billion in theaters worldwide and garnered 34 Oscar nominations (and ten wins) would tire out, but nope - Christopher Nolan still needs a bloody heat check. If you like his work, you'll love Tenet. It is that simple. What do you like? Is it:

  • Cinematic Rubik's Cubes, full of twists and turns that end up twisting and turning you?
  • Masterful uses of sound, noise and orchestral music to aerate gripping visual displays?
  • Nearly unfathomable originality in storytelling?
  • Uncompromising stylistic choices in movement and progression?
  • An arguable disregard for whether or not watchers are confused?
  • Well-crafted dialogue, tailored to both the developed and unique characters and seemingly actors themselves?
  • Anything but rushed artmaking (for example, Tenet, which took Nolan five years to write)?
  • Adventure, innovation and on-screen joyrides that take you to another world?

Whatever it is...this movie's got IT. Nolan is an example of what being yourself and doubling down on your strengths looks like. Tenet doesn't try to be anything it's not and, for that reason, it's anything it wants to be. Nolan describes Tenet in a terse manner by calling it a "spy film" (likely a tease at his declined invitation to lead a potential James Bond/007 feature). However, Nolan gives us a great gift here by committing to his signature style, as he always does: a film that is fluid, yet strong enough to be whatever we think it is.

3. The Answer

Tenet challenged my understanding of faith. I'm not saying I questioned God or anything, but it made me ask myself what faith was.

Good movies are supposed to make us feel secure, right? They're supposed to run from start to finish, with each and every question answered along the way. The hero's supposed to win, the bad guy's supposed to lose and the world is supposed to be saved. I'm supposed to feel good when I walk away and feel resolute after dedicating time, pleased with where I am. That's a good movie.

But what happens when you feel insecure? What happens when you can't tell who won or if the world is saved? What happens when you don't feel good or resolute afterwards? How's that a good movie? How am I supposed to believe that that is good cinema? How am I supposed to believe?

That's what it feels like to have your faith challenged. When what you believe is called into question, you are put in a place of contemplation that can be rattling. Recently, I asked God, "Why? Why take my loved one? Put my family through this hardship? During a pandemic, make us suffer even more?" I doubted reasoning and logic. I questioned many things. But that is really where faith is its most powerful and sensible, not in the midst of pleasantry, comprehension and "feel good". Faith is its strongest and most evident in times of confusion and tension. The "goodest" thing in life is paradoxical in nature.

[Warning: Potential foundational spoilers ahead]

The entire foundation of Tenet and its worldview is conceptually rooted in faith, complete trust in a certain belief, even when faced with challenges. The main character, The Protagonist, is tasked with completing a mission and going about this new life of his with much confusion and a lack of comprehension. Many would call him blind or naive, but he's not. His vision is most clear throughout the film when faced with a lack of clarity. He thrives in situations when he has to rely on the very belief that this is the way things are supposed to be. His unselfish snap decisions, his movements in crowds, his balance of reluctance and commitment are driven by unwavering faith - complete admission and facing of his life's and world's difficulties and misunderstandings.

Outside of The Protagonist, Tenet leans on "the challenge and the belief". The "Tenetsphere" suggests the world is predetermined, but Nolan's storytelling emphasizes how crucial the individual and their actions can be. Philosophically, we may feel that what "is" appears unchangeable, but even in that damning idea, there persists a sense of hope that this film's end result will be different. And in that tension, that uncertainty, that paradoxical feeling, that challenge of beliefs, that feeling that I felt most when faced with what could logically be labeled as hopelessness...I felt faithful. I believed, even when everything told me not to. I believed. And that's what a good movie (and faith) are all about.

The trick with enjoying Tenet is finding the beauty in its tension and confusion. You can't get hung up on asking "Why is this happening? How did they get here? Who is that person? Where are they? When was that?" You must ask yourself the questions, yes, but you can't shut down if you don't have an answer. Faith does not eliminate questions - it simply knows where to take them. If you simply believe in Tenet, you will understand the film. In what is indubitably another example of Christopher Nolan's ability to bend minds and challenge understanding, while painting some damn pretty pictures, in the face of that hardship, the ultimate proof of our belief (faith) is that the world...is what it is. And it just works. You can't be misguided in order to get it. Remember: God never told us that weapons wouldn't form - He told us that they would not prosper.

Faith does not exist to disconnect us from the world around us. It exists to connect us to the world. Overthinking leads to disconnect. Faith, in its essence, is just being.

In other words, faith is not an answer in the face of a confusing reality. It is the lack thereof. That is why it is the answer - because faith is reality.

Tenet is not an answer. It is the lack thereof. That is why it is the answer.

Here's one reason to not see Tenet:

1. Cognitive Dissonance

I'm not saying the casual movie watcher, those with or without faith or overly logical individuals can't enjoy Tenet. The action, the thrills and the performances are enough to say that this movie was great. However, I know a lot of people who didn't like Interstellar. I know a lot of people who didn't like Inception. I know a lot of people who have never even seen Memento, let alone said they liked it. With as murky and baffling as our real world is, paying money to go be more confused might annoy some people. And, I get that. Hell, at Vandy, I didn't really like math, so I didn't take more than four classes of that (and I got a B-, a C+, a C and a C-, in that order lol). Many people like movies that make sense in the end. If that's you, Tenet might not fully be your cup of tea.

Tenet is a psychological, action-packed roller coaster that quite literally jerks you back and forth in your seat. While its foundational understandings pose some questions, the answer lies within acceptance of the "Tenetsphere" when logic points to rejecting it. I highly recommend seeing Tenet. Some won't. Either way, I Scene That.

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This post is dedicated to my late grandmother, Mable Lee Rounds. She was the light of my life. Faithful, nurturing and ever-present, she motivated me to achieve everything I set my mind to. She was the best at making me feel worthy when I felt worthless and she loved me more than life. I thank God for her life and love. Watch over me, Granny <3 .