There is no downplay of the effort of anything or anyone. There is no political context or war strategy forgotten. This is not about the evacuation of the beach, the civilian rescue boats or the air force. It's about three little stories that exist within those moments. It's an intimate survival journey through the eyes of Tommy, the two pilots and that civilian boat. Outside of Brannagh's character that helps us to understand what is happening in these three moments, the scale we are presented is not the scale of the battle of Dunkirk but the scale these characters are exposed too. There is no politics whatsoever in this story. It's as apolitical as it gets. Dunkirk is a suspenseful thriller hidden behind a war setting. The film ends when
The clock stops. The end.