One aspect that has mutli-layered brilliance is the portrayal of the unfairness and absurdity of throwing a person's distant past at him or her.
One of the scenes in this regard is what won Emily Blunt the Oscar in my mind.
It seems obvious to me that I would prefer a former communist to somebody who has always been part of the club any day. The commie has been there and done that, and found his or her way out. He or she won't be taken back as easily as somebody who was always on "my side" may be taken in.
So much of these scenes played out like the "Offense Archeology" mobs on social media now.
The answer to every allegation in a sane world would be the question, "Was I not allowed to be stupid when I was young?"
Alas, Oppenheimer didn't live in a sane world. Our world is no saner in this regard.
If people are contradicting themselves left and right, in real time, that's a good indication of dishonesty or that they're simply not very thoughtful people.
When you're talking about years ago -- even decades ago -- and you're throwing that at a person to try to attack their character, you're always the bigger douche than the person you're attacking.