One of the greatest filmmakers today is Christopher Nolan, and ever since he started his career in the late 1990s, he’s been known for his blockbuster action sequences and careful attention to cinematic detail. He does it all—from writing to directing to producing. And each one of his films is iconic in its own way.
So what makes his movies so great? What exactly is behind his layered storytelling? And why should you (if you haven’t already) go and watch some of his films?
Attention to Detail
From sound design to visuals, Nolan encapsulates what it means to be a filmmaker. Practically every scene is brilliant, and particular attention is paid to cinematography and the auditory experience of the viewer. Take, for instance, the opening scene of Dunkirk (2017), which recounts the Battle of Dunkirk in the Second World War:
The sudden gunfire breaks the ominous silence that starts the film. There is no music. It’s chaotic and immediately pushes you to the edge of your seat.
The entire movie—and all of Nolan’s films—use sound to the story’s advantage. It provokes emotional responses to the disorder of war, as seen here, or characters’ desperation in Interstellar (2014), or the grandness of the dream-worlds in Inception (2010).
He’s well-known for his extremely loud, intense, often jarring sound effects and musical scores (often from the legendary composer Hans Zimmer). Nevertheless, the intentions and effect are clear: the sound experience pulls you in. It immerses you inside the experiences of the characters.
Similarly, the cinematography of Nolan drives much of the beauty of his films. From wide-sweeping, aerial shots to medium shots with just the right amount of unsteadiness, the cinematic aspects of his films continuously reflect some element of the plot.
Imaginative Story Elements
One of the most distinctive pieces of a Christopher Nolan film is his willingness to explore the unknown.
Science fiction is not new. Yet Nolan’s take on science fiction in Interstellar paints a very personal light onto a seemingly impersonal journey through space. The storyline is saturated with entangling threads, plot twists, and deep emotional drive.
Likewise, in Inception, we explore the world of dreams in a heist of sorts. The story gets so confusing by the end that there are actually entire websites dedicated to explaining the plot (spoilers). But don’t let that daunt you—the ending makes it all worth it. It seems like every time I watch Inception, I see and experience something new, something I had never noticed before.
Tenet (2020), Nolan’s latest film, has perhaps some of the most bewildering action sequences in all of Hollywood. The reversal of time becomes mere background to the large-scale fighting and thriller components of the film.
If any of this sounds like your thing, definitely give these films a go. And even if it doesn’t, I’m certain there’s something enjoyable for everyone among his works.
The Bigger Picture
If there’s something that strings all of Nolan’s movies together into a larger, cohesive picture, it is the concept of time.
In Inception, each level deeper you go while dreaming distorts time. In the deepest levels of the dreamscape, mere minutes in the real world feel like decades. Interstellar presents the converse. Near a black hole, what feels like hours is actually decades on Earth. And the film beautifully portrays this passage of time in the context of family through the distance and simultaneous closeness between individuals.
Overall, Christopher Nolan’s films give us a unique look at how we perceive even the concept of existence. He shows us that the way we remember, the way we imagine, the way we live are all tinted by our perspectives as individuals. That the passage of time is as much an unchanging fact of the universe as it is a matter of perception in our minds.