What does it all mean?

[u/BaconJets]

So I've seen this film three times now, and after my third watch it's a subjective 10/10 for me. I've never gotten so much value out of a single film before, showing it to my friends to watch them get mindfucked (And selfishly, for me to rewatch and gather more details) has been my favourite thing to do as of late.

Unlike Nolan's other films however, I can't find a clear meaning behind it all, not that there has to be per se. Inception was at it's core about a man trying to get home to his kids. Interstellar was about love for your kids transcending time and space. Tenet though? The only thing I've got is that it's about the complexities of global intelligence agencies and the insane situations that can come out of that mess. Does anybody else have theories?

[u/tgillet1]

To me it’s about free will. TP learns that what happened happened and can’t be changed (at least everything he is taught and then experiences enforces that), and we operate in a world that constrains us, but within that framework we still make choices. The more we incorporate an understanding of how the world works, the more we can exploit that understanding to control our future, even given the constraints placed on us, even with the knowledge we have of what already happened/will happen.

While the movie adds science fiction and an amazingly mind bending narrative, the message is still relevant to our lives. The usual view is that if we live in a deterministic world then we don’t have free will. As it turns out it doesn’t matter if the universe is deterministic or stochastic in terms of free will (I can expand on that if you’d like), but the point is that even if the universe is deterministic, we are pieces of that world with knowledge, feelings, and an understanding of the world. We are pieces of the deterministic universe making decisions. These views are compatible.

[u/mb_supervisor → u/tgillet1]

Exactly. It’s a film about Compatibalism. The world is determined, not ‘pre determined’ and not fatalistic. You are part of the process of determining the future.

The film just makes it a bit more complex by giving you a preview of your choice beforehand.

[u/BaconJets → u/tgillet1]

This is an excellent way of looking at it. It's hard to see the determinism of Tenet as anything but nihilistic at times, I find it quite existentially challenging to imagine watching yourself reverse exit a turnstile, basically the universe telling you that your fate is to enter that turnstile. The fact that they win the battle against the future has been the only silver lining until I read this interpretation.

[u/tgillet1 → u/BaconJets]

I like to think along these lines further. The universe might be entirely deterministic in the usual sense, but there also might be many possible futures. This interpretation probably could never be proven, but it would provide a mechanism for how the universe so cleanly prevents paradoxes. The notion here is that there are in fact multiple timelines, but only those that have no paradoxes persist, which entails scenarios where either some physical constraints exist to prevent a paradox in a situation in which a character would otherwise choose to cause one, or a character’s motivations line up to avoid a paradox. We see both things happen numerous times in Tenet.

If this is true it makes no difference in terms of free will… unless you are considering that possible explanation as a character who gets to make decisions. You would be further motivated to avoid a paradox because for all you know it would result in your timeline ceasing to exist. And yet, even if there are other versions of you who made different choices (or more likely ended up in different situations), you still don’t have any control of the mechanisms of the universe that make you up. The same is true for a stochastic universe without many worlds, though in the world of Tenet that explanation for the universe seems immensely unlikely given how perfectly paradoxes are avoided.

[u/BluSaint → u/tgillet1]

Well said!

[u/BluSaint]

Just want to say: I love this sub. Tenet has held the crown as my favorite film since I first watched it, and the folks in this sub never fail to share insightful, thought-provoking posts & comments. This post and its replies exemplify our awesome Tenet Reddit community. You all rock

[u/MadeIndescribable]

Obviously there's the clearly(ish) stated ideas about "what's happened's happened", and determinism, but I think the more personal journey/meaning is about learning how to still have faith in something you can't "change", and that whatever's going on around you, your actions are still important.

Despite experiencing what could be the biggest "what's the point in anything" in existence, The Protagonist goes from someone willing to die following orders without questioning them, to someone who gives order having found something worth fighting for.

[u/SomeGuy322]

I think the other comments are right about it focusing on control and inevitability. Throughout the movie TP brings up questions like “what about free will” or “doesn’t that mean we already won” with the answers being that he still has to make a choice/take action because our perception of choice still exists. By the end TP learns Neil’s fate and it’s tragic for him because it is an element he can cannot control and cannot change. I imagine he feels frustrated in earlier scenes when everything seems to move without him despite him being “the protagonist” so his growth is related to accepting that what’s happened happened.

And it’s subtle but I think this understanding of what he can and can not control is what allows him to become the white suited “hero” that saves Kat in the end. It also helps that he has the full force of Tenet helping him but perhaps that is earned through his actions too. In another sense his persistence/sacrifice earns him the power to enact more control over his world, which he lacked before.

I agree this isn’t the most clear answer but I appreciate the performance of the actors who still conveyed a lot of meaning behind everything on a scene to scene basis even if it doesn’t always connect into a broader picture. And I think Neil’s journey is perhaps more about sacrifice and dedication to the greater good, virtually everything he does is for TP and the world to continue on. It’s similar to how TP started this journey sacrificing himself with the pill, but by the end TP becomes the person above that sort of requirement. Though whether it was his choice or fate, he has gained enough control to keep himself/others from sacrificing more.

[u/xzktoxz]

I've learned the lesson that we live in a twilight world...

[u/BluSaint → u/xzktoxz]

And there are no friends at dusk

[u/TwoMoonKindaPlace]

It’s the presents duty to not let the future tear down or distort the pass. That progress comes from building on proven, solid foundations, not shifting ashes.

[u/reedrick]

Here’s a different answer. There is NO meaning to the movie. The movie was rather a demonstration of a concept, and that’s where the satisfaction comes from. Next time you watch it, just pay attention to how each character moves through the arc. Their motivations are so basic, they are easy to track.

[u/stnlkub]

Tenet just like Inception and Memento is a sort of machine. It's a 'ride' t hat you take that unwinds and repeats for the next round. Even though on the facet is has some sense of depth, its not really that deep. Nor is it supposed to be. By definition, these movies are 'buy the ticket, take the ride' rinse repeat.

[u/i_am_voldemort]

I don't know if it's the point, but the emotional chord for me was in Neil's sacrifice. He did the entire mission knowing he was fated to die but did it anyway.

He even said to the Protagonist in their first meeting, "Time isn't the problem, it's getting out alive that is the problem"

[u/SpecterK1 → u/i_am_voldemort]

I never anticipated feeling such profound sadness over an indirect portrayal of death... a sacrifice to say the least.

[u/PabloMesbah-Yamamoto]

Does your son die as well if the entire world is blown up? is the main thesis.