Following the release of his highly anticipated Dune trailer, director Dennis Villeneuve has explained the importance of a major scene where protagonist Paul Atreides survives the mental and physical threats of a Bene Gesserit test.
As explained by an EW trailer breakdown, the scene sees Paul (Timothée Chalamet) put his hand into a mysterious box as part of a test by the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) who then holds a gom jabbar needle up to his neck. In the trailer, she describes the test as "simple: remove your hand from the box, and you die," forcing Paul to endure its psychic contents -- described simply as "pain" -- lest Gaius kill him with the poisoned needle if he tries to escape.
Villeneuve described this scene to EW as "pivotal" because it tests a core philosophical question of Dune author Frank Herbert: "Is the mental part of [Paul] stronger than the animal part?" As the director explains, "At some point in the Dune history, the human brain will reach a level of control where there's no more computers in that universe, so the brain is trained to be able to make insane calculations and have control over your body. Paul, having some Bene Gesserit training, needed to be tested to see if he can use this power for the good of humanity."
The fact that Paul survives the Bene Gesserit test will hold ramifications over Dune's plot, which covers the first half of Herbert's novel. "Because he's someone with a specific genetic background, the Reverend Mother goes a bit too far," Villeneuve further explained. "It's a test that is messing with the subconscious of the subject. By going so far, she unleashes some elements of Paul's psyche, some things that will create a lot of problems later. It's a very important scene."
You can read Warner Bros. plot synopsis for the film below:
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve from a script he co-wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, Legendary Pictures' Dune stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Chang Chen as Dr. Wellington Yueh, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Dr. Liet Kynes, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, Dave Bautista Glossu Rabban, David Dastmalchian as Piter De Vries, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Stephen Henderson as Thufir Hawat, and Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck. The film arrives in theaters Dec. 18.