In 2023, cinema returned in a big way. Not only were people putting their bums back in theatre seats (Tom Cruise thanks you), but film defined many of this year’s cultural talking points: Barbenheimer, the merits of historical accuracy, whether you should be shunned for needing a wee in the space of four hours.
But beyond discourse connecting some of our big screen biggest hitters this year, another, more sartorial signifier linked them together: hats. Let’s take a look at some of the standout movies that hit our screens this year and what they had in common. Oppenheimer: big bomb (and hats), Napoleon: angry short king (and hats), Killers of the Flower Moon: generational oppression (and hats), Wonka: chocolate (and hats), Barbie: patriarchy (and hats).
It’s been a very hatty time. Wide-brimmed, ten-gallon, top, porkpie, bicorn; we saw it all. But, I hear you ask, why is that important? Hats, at the end of the day, are just an item of clothing. Everyone wore trousers on screen this year too, should we tell everyone? Should we throw a party? Should we invite Harry Styles?
The thing is, beyond hats just protecting our leading men’s precious heads from the elements, the hats we saw this year became integral storytellers in their own right.
Let’s take Oppenheimer, the hattiest film of the year. In a film that saw basically every man in Hollywood cast like some kind of Christopher Nolan-enforced mandatory conscription, there were a lot of noggins to shield. As Robert J Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy’s barnet was barely without its grey pork pie topper for much of the movie, acting as a protector from both the harsh Los Alamos desert sun and the watchful eye of the US government. Oppenheimer uses his hat as a shield, especially as he emerges from the shadows of theoretical physics into the most public realm of wartime innovation. But it’s also an item of clothing that contradicts itself – a way to hide and a way to stand out – which, ultimately, is his downfall.
