Oppenheimer’s “Now I Am Become Death” Sex Scene Explained

Christopher Nolan ventured into uncharted territory in Oppenheimer when he shot his first sex scene, but as with all aspects of Nolan’s films, there was a deeper meaning to it. The intense scene between Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer and Florence Pugh’s real life character Jean Tatlock has been met with both acclaim and criticism from different parts of the movie-going public, but its impact on the portrayal of Oppenheimer and the movie as a whole is undeniable. It features one of the most famous quotes associated with the charismatic genius behind the atomic bomb, and therein lies its significance.

The scene in the box office record-breaking Oppenheimer occurs shortly after Oppenheimer meets Tatlock at a Communist Party function in 1936. Oppenheimer’s entanglement with the psychiatrist would have huge ramifications for his life long after her suicide in 1944. Mid-scene, Tatlock pauses when a book on Oppenheimer’s shelf catches her eye. She pulls it off the shelf and demands that Oppenheimer read from it, even though it is written in Sanskrit. Surprised, he reads, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds“–a quote that would have great significance when the real J. Robert Oppenheimer spoke it in a 1965 TV broadcast.

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Oppenheimer’s “Now I Am Become Death” Quote Is From The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita is the most influential Hindu scripture.

The book that Tatlock has Oppenheimer read from in Oppenheimer is the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture of divine knowledge that was a favorite of the theoretical physicist. In the scripture, the line is spoken by Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, the sometimes four-armed principal deity of Hinduism. Often misinterpreted, the word “death” actually in that instance means “world-destroying time” per Open Culture, and refers to how no matter what a person might do, everything is ultimately determined by the divine.

Oppenheimer would go on to oppose the use and existence of nuclear weapons later in his life, and that was his mindset when he spoke the quote in the 1965 documentary The Decision to Drop the Bomb. Oppenheimer’s use and interpretation of the quote is part of how he would grapple with his role in the development of the devastating atomic bomb. Nolan’s decision to work it into Oppenheimer is unsurprising, but its placement within the movie has left some puzzled.

Oppenheimer’s First Sex Scene Connects Jean Tatlock To The Atomic Bomb

Oppenheimer acts a destructive force in Tatlock’s life.

Oppenheimer’s R-rated sex scene in which the quote is used occurs chronologically many years before the atomic bomb is developed. However, by juxtaposing Oppenheimer and Jean Tatlock’s first romantic encounter with the quote, Christopher Nolan is able to connect their romance to Oppenheimer’s passionate and destructive relationship with the atomic bomb. The parallels between the fiery passion of their relationship, along with its destructive outcome prove how intentional and important the sex scene is to Oppenheimer.

The psychiatrist was clinically depressed, and she eventually committed suicide in 1944, although there is a conspiracy surrounding Jean Tatlock’s death. In the hearing regarding his security clearance in Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer admits that he felt a responsibility to continue to see Tatlock despite being married, implying that the symptoms of her depression might have been exacerbated by her ongoing love for him. There is a direct parallel between Oppenheimer’s guilt over Jean’s death and the guilt he would go on to feel for his involvement with the atomic bomb.

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The Real Meaning Of Oppenheimer’s “Now I Am Become Death” Sex Scene

The destruction of the atomic bomb mirrors Oppenheimer’s own effect on Jean Tatlock.

There are multiple ways to interpret the first sex scene in Oppenheimer, but its most significant meaning was laid out by Nolan himself. As the movie is first and foremost an examination of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director thought that audiences needed to understand the physicist’s relationship with women–and specifically with Jean Tatlock–to fully understand the man himself. Nolan told Insider that, “…when you look at Oppenheimer’s life and you look at his story, that aspect of his life, the aspect of his sexuality, his way with women, the charm that he exuded, it’s an essential part of his story.“

To omit the intimacy of the sex scene in Oppenheimer would have been to leave out a key part of who Oppenheimer was. However, juxtaposing it with the quote from the Bhagavad Gita helps to encapsulate the complexity of the man as a whole. At the center of his life’s work is a profound sense of shame and guilt over the destruction and death he ultimately felt responsible for–not only for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the suicide of Jean Tatlock as well.

Why Oppenheimer’s “Now I Am Become Death” Sex Scene Is Controversial

The juxtaposition of a holy text with a graphic scene of adultery offends some Hindus.

While Christopher Nolan certainly had a powerful reason for utilizing a quote from the Bhagavad Gita in a sex scene, that juxtaposition has been a legitimate source of controversy. As if the use of the quote wasn’t bad enough, the actual book itself is used in the scene, which is understandably vexing considering that Oppenheimer was committing adultery at the time. Some Hindu nationalists have even called for the removal of the scene from Oppenheimer, despite it pretty obviously not being intended as a dig at Hinduism in any way.