- @Stage&Story
Reflections on Tenet (2020): "Feel it. Don't Try to Understand It"

Editor's note: Listen to a slightly updated version of this reflection on the Stage & Story podcast: "Have You Seen? | Tenet (2020)"
This Saturday I visited a place I hadn’t been in a while: the movie theaters. At 40% capacity and with all the expected safety measures, AMC opened its doors to Dane Bundy…(and Johnson City) this weekend. With Christopher Nolan’s new film Tenet releasing this weekend, I wasn’t going to miss it.
Lines out the door? No problem. I’ll camp out. Soft drinks and popcorn that require a mortgage? No problem. I’ll sell my car.
This is a Christopher Nolan film, people. Yep! Never heard of him?
The Dark Knight trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012).
The Prestige (2006)
Inception (2010).
Interstellar (2014).
And now...Tenet. It’s the story of one man (played by Denzel Washington’s son) fighting to save the world. The enemy? Time. Weapon? One word...Tenet.
Not following? That’s ok. The movie will explain it all. This is Christopher Nolan, for goodness sake. And he has 2 hours and 30 minutes to do so.
I reached the theater at around 12:25 PM. Ticket on my phone. Mask on my face. I swung open the doors, bracing myself for the hum of my imagination-starved Johnson City people and their loud welcome I was going to receive. I considered making a scene utilizing my improv skills and massive movie trivia mind...you know...like yelling, “Leonardo DiCaprio's totem top never fell. Bam!” That’d get the party started.
I’m glad I didn’t.
Because when I passed the threshold and my eyes adjusted, I didn’t see anyone. Hmm...everyone must already be in the theater.
I decided to skip the concessions: I didn’t want to miss any of the previews.
Again...strange. The hallways were deserted. It was too weird not to take pictures.
