Tenet: The Synopsis for Christopher Nolan's Film Is Just as Confusing as the Trailer

On the heels of the release of a brand-new trailer for Christopher Nolan's upcoming film Tenet, Warner Bros. has released the official synopsis for the eagerly anticipated film. But just as the slick, action-packed trailer was polished but confusing affair, the synopsis answers even fewer questions about the John David Washington-starring film and may itself be even more of a mystery than anything we've seen of Tenet so far.

On its face, the synopsis is pretty straightforward. Tenet is, as we've seen, an international espionage adventure with the fate of the world in the balance but it's the mechanics of the film and what that devastating threat is that makes things complicated and confusing and there's only one thing in the synopsis that is clear: Tenet isn't about time travel. Check out the synopsis for yourself below.

"Armed with only one word – Tenet – and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time. Not time travel. Inversion."

What is inversion? We don't know, and it's something that sounds like it was a mysterious concept even for the film's star. Washington explained in a recent interview that he had to ask Nolan every day various questions to help him track the story.

"Every day I had questions for him," Washington said during the film's recent Fortnite trailer reveal. "But he was very gracious, and he answered them very calmly and patiently. It was important that the actors could track the story correctly so we could tell it the best way we could, and he was very patient with us. I say that very politely [laughs]."

As for when fans will get to see how this "not time travel" story plays out, that's something that is also a bit of a mystery. Tenet has been slated for a July 17th, something that has remained constant despite the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the most recent trailer simply states that the film is "coming to theaters" with no release date attached. The film's official social media account also briefly removed its release date, though it has since been restored.

"Chris really would like to be coming out with the film that opens theaters," IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond said on a recent earnings call. "I don't know anyone in America who is pushing harder to get the theaters reopened and to get his movie released than Chris Nolan."

What do you think about the official synopsis for Tenet? Let us know in the comments below.