History Heartwarming / Dunkirk

-->'''Bolton''': [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind I'm staying. For the French.]]

-->'''Collins''': I'm sorry, son, I really don't know. You're right not moving him. ''[Beat, looks at Peter]'' You've done the best for him you can.

!!Film

----
!!Meta
* A 97-year-old veteran of the actual Dunkirk evacuation [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc4wBfh3lwk watched the film]] and was moved to tears by how accurate it was and how it brought back memories of the event.
* Creator/FionnWhitehead and Music/HarryStyles, the actors behind Tommy and Alex, have become good friends over the course of filming, as various interviews show.
* During the aftermath of the various hurricanes in the United States in 2017, the coast guard called upon civilian boat owners to assist in rescue efforts of those trapped by flood waters. Countless boat owners answered this call, citing this film as an inspiration. In other words, they were moved by an example. As Bruce Wayne once put it, "[[Film/BatmanBegins People need dramatic examples]] [[Film/TheDarkKnight to shake them out of apathy]]".

--->'''Alex''': Gibson! Leave it!

--->''"We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations. But there was a victory inside this deliverance, which should be noted."''
---->-- '''UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill'''

* [[spoiler:Gibson]] saving Tommy and Alex when their ship is sunk.
** [[spoiler:Tommy later returns the favour. When Gibson is being held at gunpoint by frightened British soldiers who suspect him of being TheMole (he's actually French), Tommy tries to defuse the situation, in part by pointing out that Gibson saved their lives.]]
** [[spoiler:And when the trawler is sinking and the soldiers trapped inside swim for it, Alex, one of the last to leave, pats an unaware Gibson and lets him know they're leaving. Gibson dies anyway, but considering how Alex was willing to throw him under the bus before, this little act counts as CharacterDevelopment.]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Alex''': Gibson! Leave it!]]
* The brave [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ships_of_Dunkirk Little Ships]], including the Moonstone, eventually make it to the beach of Dunkirk, allowing for a greater number of soldiers to be evacuated. "[[ArcWords Home]]" finally came for them. When pressed, Mr. Dawson notes that it's men his age who made the choice to send young men off to war, it's only right he risk his life to get them back.
** There's a wonderful little detail in the shots of the Little Ships coming in. If you look carefully, you can see both naval officers ''and'' civilian sailors manning them. While Dawson is the symbol of the brave civilians who helped in the evacuation, the shot still shows sailors and civilians working together to rescue their countrymen.

** Along the rest of their trip, they're welcomed as heroes, with the country being glad that its boys will live to fight another day. The soldiers clearly expect to be criticized for losing France to the Germans, but not one British citizen shown is anything but grateful that their young men are home.

* Back on solid ground, [[AcePilot Collins]] steps on a dock, and a tired, angry soldier yells at him, "[[YouAreTooLate Where the hell were you?]]". Mr. Dawson reassuringly pats him on the shoulder, points to the soldiers on the Dawsons' boat he helped rescue and says, "They know where you were."
** Before that, shortly after being rescued himself, Collins assures Peter that [[spoiler:he did his best to treat George]].
-->[[spoiler:'''Collins''': I'm sorry, son, I really don't know. You're right not moving him. ''[Beat, looks at Peter]'' You've done the best for him you can.]]
* Though the circumstances of his death are a TearJerker, a local newspaper celebrates [[spoiler:George]] as a hero of Dunkirk at the end of the movie.

* When George and Peter wonder whether the Shivering Soldier's actions mean he's a coward, Mr. Dawson firmly informs them that he's shell-shocked and deeply traumatised, and that how he's acting probably isn't an indication of who he really is. Whenever he talks to the soldier, [[spoiler:even after the soldier accidentally causes George to be injured]], he's never less than calm and respectful to him.
* [[spoiler:When Alex (still slick in oil) finds a dead George below decks and lets Peter know, the poor teen just tells him to "be bloody careful with him". Alex takes the time to gently move George's body, and another soldier helps him cover George with a blanket.]]

* During the aftermath of the various hurricanes in the United States in 2017, the coast guard called upon civilian boat owners to assist in rescue efforts of those trapped by flood waters. Countless boat owners answered this call, citing this film as an inspiration.
** In other words, they were moved by an example. As Bruce Wayne once put it, "[[Film/BatmanBegins People need dramatic examples]] [[Film/TheDarkKnight to shake them out of apathy]]".

* Fionn Whitehead and Music/HarryStyles, the actors behind Tommy and Alex, have become good friends over the course of filming, as various interviews show.

* Commander Bolton stays behind after most of the British soldiers have been evacuated. Why?

--->[[spoiler:Gibson! Leave it!]]
* The brave [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ships_of_Dunkirk Little Ships]], including the Moonstone, eventually make it to the beach of Dunkirk, allowing for a greater number of soldiers to be evacuated. "[[ArcWords Home]]" finally came to the rescue. When pressed, Mr. Dawson notes that it's men his age who made the choice to send young men off to war, it's only right he risk his life to get them back.

* Commander Bolton stays behind after most of the British soldiers have been evacuated, now [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind waiting for the remaining French soldiers to embark]].

* Along the rest of their trip, they're welcomed as heroes, with the country being glad that its boys will live to fight another day. The soldiers clearly expect to be criticized for losing France to the Germans, but not one British citizen shown is anything but grateful that their young men are home.
-->''"We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations. But there was a victory inside this deliverance, which should be noted."''
--->-- '''UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill'''
* Meanwhile, [[AcePilot Collins]] steps on a dock and a tired, angry soldier yells at him, "[[YouAreTooLate Where the hell were you?]]". Mr Dawson reassuringly pats him on the shoulder, points to the soldiers on the Dawsons' boat he helped rescue and says, "They know where you were."

* A 97-year old veteran of the actual Dunkirk evacuation [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc4wBfh3lwk watched the film]] and was moved to tears by how accurate it was and how it brought back memories of the event.

** [[spoiler:Tommy later returns the favour. When Gibson is being held at gunpoint by frightened British soldiers who suspect him of being TheMole (he's actually French), Tommy defuses the situation, in part by pointing out that Gibson saved their lives.]]
** [[spoiler:And when the trawler is sinking and the soldiers trapped inside swim for it, Alex, one of the last to leave, pats an unaware (he can't speak English) Gibson and lets him know they're leaving. Gibson dies anyway, but considering how Alex was willing to throw him under the bus before, this little act counts as CharacterDevelopment.]]
* The brave [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ships_of_Dunkirk Little Ships]], including the Moonstone, eventually make it to the beach of Dunkirk, allowing for a greater number of soldiers to be evacuated. "Home" finally came to the rescue. When pressed, Mr. Dawson notes that it's men his age who made the choice to send young men off to war, it's only right he risk his life to get them back.
** There's a wonderful little detail in the shots of the Little Ships coming in. If you look carefully, you can see both naval officers and men dressed in ordinary clothes manning them. While Dawson is the symbol of the brave civilians who helped in the evacuation, the shot still shows sailors and civilians working together to rescue their men.

-->'''Alex:''' All we did was survive.\\

* Along the rest of their trip, they're welcomed as heroes, with the country being glad that its boys will live to fight another day. The soldiers clearly expect to be criticized for losing France to the Germans but not one British citizen shown is anything but grateful that their young men are home.

** Before that, Collins assures Peter that [[spoiler:he did his best to treat George]].

'''Old Man:''' That is enough.

** [[spoiler:Tommy later returns him the favour. When Gibson is being held at gunpoint by frightened British soldiers who suspect him of being TheMole (he's actually French), Tommy defuses the situation, in part by pointing out that Gibson saved their lives.]]
** [[spoiler:And when the trawler is sinking and the soldiers trapped inside swim for it, Alex, one of the last to leave, pats an unaware (he can't speak English) Gibson and lets him know they're leaving. Gibson dies anyway but considering how Alex was willing to throw him under the bus before, this little act counts as CharacterDevelopment.]]

* Commander Bolton stays behind after most British soldiers have been evacuated, now [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind waiting for the remaining French soldiers to embark]].

* Tommy and Alex, exhausted and filthy on the train ride back from their landing in England, flinch away from a man who knocks on the window because they assume they're going to be verbally abused for being cowards who failed in their duties to repel the German onslaught. Instead, the man reaches in the window and hands them two beers to welcome them home. Alex then pokes his head out the window to see an entire crowd of people cheering them.
* When George and Peter wonder whether the Shivering Soldier's actions mean he's a coward, Mr. Dawson firmly informs them that he's shell-shocked and deeply traumatised, and that how he's acting probably isn't an indication of who he really is. Whenever he talks to the soldier [[spoiler: even after the soldier accidentally causes George to be injured]], he's never less than calm and respectful to him.

** [[spoiler:And when the ship is sinking and the soldiers trapped inside swim for it, Alex, one of the last to leave, pats an unaware (he can't speak English) Gibson and lets him know they're leaving. Gibson dies anyway but considering how Alex was willing to throw him under the bus before, this little act counts as CharacterDevelopment.]]

-->'''Tommy:''' All we did was survive.
-->'''Old Man:''' That is enough.

-->''"We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations."''