By Chris Rizos
International Affairs & Legal Studies Club
07/14/2025
Very recently I watched “Darkest Hour” on Netflix, a film that follows all of Winston Churchill’s early days as the Prime Minister during one of the most critical moments of World War II. As the founder of the International Affairs & Legal Studies Club I found it not only very historically engaging but also very provocative in a way. It offers lots of insights into the nature of leadership, diplomacy, and especially ethical decision making under very extreme pressures. This film matches perfectly with the themes we explore in our club, but also with idea that are central to classes such as English Language & Literature and also Theory of Knowledge (TOK) for our IB takers.
One of the most striking aspects of the film I watched was how the language gets used as a tool of immense power. Churchill’s speeches we see in scenes are an absolute masterclass in the use of rhetorical strategy. In fact, his very famous line, “We shall fight on the beaches…” is way more than just simple wartime propaganda we see everywhere. It was a calculated use of tone, repetition, and especially metaphor to try and attempt to unite a completely fragmented nation at the time. From a English Lang & Lit perspective, these speeches remind us so much of how language just doesn’t reflect reality but it can also shape it as taught to us by all our teachers. Churchill didn’t only lead a country, but he persuaded and led it into believing in the value of resistance and never giving up.
From a more of a TOK angle on the other hand, the film raises lots of essential questions such as: How do we actually know what the actually “right” decision is in a crisis? Churchill gets now portrayed as a man that was torn apart between different factors like military advice, political opposition, and most importantly his own moral compass. This very internal conflicts that get also shown to us in the scenes where he just stands by himself near his bed in his room with a still, emotionless face, highlight the limitations of both reason but also emotion as ways of knowing it and how actually important it is. At one point, he also chooses to ride the London Underground just to simply ask ordinary citizens what they thought of the whole situation. This was obviously a very symbolic moment. It also made me think about what the role of public opinion in decision making is like and how it affects actual matters. But it made me think of a question: When, if ever even, should leaders listen to people instead of experts? Internationally Churchill’s refusal to negotiate peace with Hitler when many expected him to really goes and shows how legal and diplomatic decisions are sometimes stuck in between national identity and also ethical values. In conclusion, this film reminded me that the foundations of international affairs are especially built on moments like these, where personal ideals meet global consequences.