Race representation in film has always been at the forefront of conversations about the film industry. More often than not, it seems that it’s easier to remark on the industry’s blunders rather than on its successes in representing positive POC (person of colour) characters. If ‘Oscars-so white’ wasn’t an indication of this then perhaps we, as audience members, need to review some of our favourite films and assess whether they fit our representational standards. We might be awakened to the likes of negative stereotyping, whitewashing, underrepresentation and even a complete lack of representation. Especially with current events in mind, audiences have as much responsibility as filmmakers to be aware of what we should expect from race representation in film. When it comes to the big names in the industry – the Tarantinos and Andersons if you will – filmmakers whose works we excitedly anticipate, we too-often fail to hold them accountable for the tone-deaf aspects of their works.

One such filmmaker, whose work we patiently look forward to, is the often problematic Christopher Nolan. Nolan and positive representation don’t exactly go hand in hand, whether that be with regards to representation of race or female characters. We needn’t look further than his biggest blockbusters to see some pretty blatant examples of underrepresentation and whitewashing. Dunkirk, Nolan’s epic re-telling of a significant World War II event, was heavily criticised for its lack of representation of soldiers from commonwealth countries. Although his film was blatantly whitewashed, we nonetheless praised his efforts for creating what I would argue is one of the greatest war films of all time. Additionally, Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy was criticised for its whitewashing of characters such as Ra’s al Ghul, Bane and Catwoman, who are originally of Latinx or Arab backgrounds in the comics. Aside from whitewashing, Nolan has a habit of favouring a predominantly white cast in his films, with an occasional appearance from a secondary POC character. Whether that be Yusuf, the glorified taxi driver in Inception or Lucius Fox’s secondary role in The Dark Knight trilogy.

Past blunders in mind, it seems that 2020 might be a new chapter for Christopher Nolan. His latest release Tenet sees John David Washington, most notable for his role in BlacKkKlansman, as The Protagonist, both in billing and in name. Nolan’s casting option is a definite step towards a more racially diverse filmography, with Washington being his first black protagonist in a major blockbuster. Regardless, the real question lies in whether Tenet exemplifies positive race representation, or whether it falls victim to stereotyping, misrepresentation, and other race-related prejudices.

For one, The Protagonist’s race is irrelevant to the plot, proving that lead roles in Christopher Nolan films aren’t necessarily reserved for the white man’s narrative. Compared to Nolan’s other leading characters such as Dicaprio’s Cobb in Inception or Bale’s Batman in the Dark Knight Trilogy, I must admit there is something lacking in Washington’s role. There’s a blandness in his character, making it seem like the actor wasn’t given much to work with, especially compared to the roles of his white counterparts, Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh and Elizabeth Debicki. I’m not saying this necessarily has anything to do with race but there is something off-putting about a film being driven by secondary white characters, instead of the black lead. Perhaps Nolan’s spy thriller intends to be reminiscent of bond-like tropes. Washington does manage to establish a 007 demeanour, but quite frankly I was more intrigued with the roles of his white counterparts. He did not even bother to give the protagonist a name. I was just hoping that Nolan’s first black lead would have at least rivalled his other leads.

I feel it’s necessary to also mention Nolan’s other POC casting choices, namely Himesh Patel (Mahir) and Dimple Kapadia (Priya). Are these examples of positive race representation? Well, they are just secondary roles, so I didn’t expect much from them in the first place. But, like his other aforementioned hits, these POC supporting characters do not seem to contribute much. I would even argue that they somewhat play into the tech wiz and guru-type tropes that Asian characters are often subject to representing. I wouldn’t say that Nolan has completely failed to achieve positive race representation. If anything, he’s recognised a need for a more diverse cast. I would argue, on the other hand, that there is room for improvement, by potentially giving these roles more to work with. But perhaps this is in some ways a reflection of the film as a whole. A film that, in my opinion, achieves a good outcome in its general form but has room for improvement in its plot, and perhaps the blandness of The Protagonist has fallen victim to an influence from the latter.

Overall, Nolan has made a good attempt to rectify the whitewashing and lack of representation of his other films, but still has a long way to go in order to achieve positive race representation. We cannot easily forgive his former blunders but can encourage his attempt to subvert from problematic to progressive, or at least progressive for Christopher Nolan. Nonetheless, his efforts have not been unnoticed and one can hope that his foray into diverse casting might inspire other big directors to rethink their casting options too.

‘TENET’ Images courtesy of Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved. 

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