is supposed to be a film about a race against the clock and deeply personal stories.

It’s being hailed as a masterpiece, but the setting is complex and dialogue is scarce

in the film, so to help you better savor Dunkirk, here are five things you should know before

seeing it in theaters.

1.

The film reportedly won’t spend a great deal of screen time explaining the events

that lead up to the evacuations on the beach in 1940, so here’s what you need to know.

The Battle of Dunkirk has its roots in Fall Gelb, the German plan for the invasion of

Belgium and Holland.

In May 1940, when the Germans attacked, both France and Britain sent their best troops

in mainland Europe to meet what they believed to be the bulk of the German Offensive.

They took the bait, and German troops poured into France via the lightly-defended Ardennes

forest, bypassing the crux of French defensive strategy, which relied heavily on the Maginot

Line and cooperation with Belgian forces.

Unlike previous conflicts, attacking forces no longer had to wait for artillery support

– Hitler’s war machine utilized dive bombers like the Ju87 Stuka to provide pin-point fire

support, allowing German units to completely outmaneuver their French and British counterparts.

German successes pinned the allied armies against the sea – which is the setting for

Dunkirk.

2.

Dunkirk isn’t a World War II film in the style of Saving Private Ryan or the recent

Hacksaw Ridge.

Instead, it’s a race against time – a story

of survival.

Don’t expect protracted battle scenes, but do expect to be dazzled by visuals.

There is a minimal amount of dialogue in the film, which draws even more attention to what

appears on the screen.

The composition of shots, even from what’s in the trailers, is staggering.

Nolan filmed most of Dunkirk in a format intended for IMAX, so if you’re looking for the best

experience – spend a little extra for IMAX tickets.

3.

Dunkirk is actually pretty accurate from a historical perspective.

It’s clear Nolan went to great lengths to make the film as realistic as possible.

Many of the scenes are filmed on-location, and many of the vehicles used are period appropriate

– or veterans of the actual battle.

These include the “Little Ships” – the last resort for many soldiers.

The Moonstone, where much of the tension in the film takes place, was built in 1930.

Nolan reportedly obtained several dozen ships for the film, ranging from the French destroyer

Maillé-Brézé (mai-bre-zey) to the Norwegian Liner-turned hospital ship Rogaland.

The film even recreates the makeshift pier made by desperate soldiers, who lined up vehicles

at low tide to create another location for boarding ships.

4.

The Battle for Dunkirk really was this chaotic and desperate.

Often when we see war films on the big screen, we ask ourselves “was it really like this?”

The evacuation at Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo, was drawn up in less than a week.

Oral histories from veterans of the battle, like RAF Pilot Hugh Dundas describe the beach

as “…a very confused scene,” complicated by a massive pall of smoke from burning oil

tanks.

Communication was horrendous.

Friendly fire was commonplace, and several RAF pilots who were shot down wound up assisting

escort ships in identifying friendly and enemy aircraft because training was lacking.

In the skies, the RAF was also fighting a desperate battle.

Visibility above the channel was poor, and RAF pilots were flying out of airfields in

England.

The Luftwaffe meanwhile operated out of captured French airbases.

This meant German pilots could spend more time airborne, and if shot down, would often

parachute into friendly territory and be back at their unit the same day.

Because of these conditions, many British soldiers on the ground were unaware of the

battles raging between the RAF and the Luftwaffe, and instead felt abandoned.

The Luftwaffe constantly strafed and bombed ships in the waters around Dunkirk - the British

lost 226 ships of all sizes in the rescue efforts.

5.

Dunkirk was only the beginning.

Tens of thousands of allied soldiers, mainly French, were sacrificed to hold the pocket

and buy time for the evacuations.

Because of their efforts and Hitler’s decision to conserve his armored divisions, over 338,000

allied troops would escape to fight again – in locations like North Africa, France,

Belgium, and eventually Germany.

Dunkirk would come back to haunt the Germans.

Dunkirk hits theaters on July 21st.