Dunkirk tells the story of the evacuation of British forces trapped on the beaches near the port of Dunkirk in the early stages of World War II. Director and writer Christopher Nolan attempts to humanize the events by focusing on the experiences of a few characters β Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) and a French soldier (Damien Bonnard) trapped on the beach and desperately trying to escape, Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance) owner and pilot of a small boat heading to Dunkirk to assist with the evacuation, Farrier (Tom Hardy) a Royal Air Force pilot defending the flotilla from the German air force, and Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh) the British officer directing the evacuation on the beach.