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Tesla
2020 102 min United States of America PG-13 12+
★5.7
History, Drama
Director: Michael Almereyda
Trailers
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Description
The story of the Promethean struggles of Nikola Tesla, as he attempts to transcend entrenched technology—including his own previous work—by pioneering a system of wireless energy that would change the world.
Budget:
$5M
US Gross:
$93,147
Worldwide:
$459,051
Starring
Ethan Hawke
Actor
Eve Hewson
Actor
Eli A. Smith
Actor
Awards
Sundance Film Festival 2020
— Alfred P. Sloan Prize
Key opinion
Tesla is an unconventional and polarizing biopic that abandons traditional historical storytelling in favor of an experimental, meta-theatrical approach. While some appreciate its attempt to capture the inventor's alienated genius through a modern lens, most viewers are alienated by its low-budget aesthetic and jarring, anachronistic narrative choices.
| Acting | Ethan Hawke delivers a compelling performance that captures Tesla's withdrawn, alienated personality, even if he bears little physical resemblance to the historical figure. | |
| Production | The director's choice to use stylized, artificial backdrops and matte paintings results in a low-budget aesthetic that often feels disconnected and incoherent. | |
| Screenplay | The inclusion of meta-narrative devices, such as the narrator referencing Google and the use of modern technology like laptops, disrupts immersion and frustrates viewers seeking a traditional historical account. | |
| Direction | The film's experimental, semi-documentary structure divides audiences; some praise it as a cunning, multifaceted portrait of a man out of time, while others find it lacking in plot cohesion and technical depth. | |
| Ending | The surreal, inexplicable closing musical number is widely regarded as a jarring and off-putting creative misstep. |