Unraveling the Cinematic Genius of Christopher Nolan

Now you’re looking for the secret. But you won’t find it because of course, you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to work it out. You want to be fooled.

- The Prestige (2006)

Some people just want to laugh a lot, forget about reality, and return home. Fast-paced action scenes and spectacular stunts might give some people an adrenaline boost. Some people desire to relate to and humanise the characters in moving, emotional dramas. Then there are films that challenge our mental limits by asking us to visualise, understand, and envision something wholly new that we could never have imagined before. You have arrived in the world of Christopher Nolan's films. Your friends in this place will be space, time, and gravity.

Christopher Nolan has a reputation that few other filmmakers have. Nolan is highly appreciated by critics and Hollywood alike, so it is not surprising that he has maintained his status as a leading auteur of film in Hollywood. Each of his films seems to tell a different, fascinating story while dominating the box office. Most people will concur that Nolan is on par with illustrious filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. His incredibly perceptive videos cover anything from a tale of a World War II combat to magicians making use of quantum theories. But each of his films features a fresh and engaging plot that is regularly brought to life through stellar acting, gorgeous photography, and innovative storytelling approaches.

The Techniques He Uses

Nolan is well renowned for his non-linear storytelling technique, in which he presents a movie's plot out of order. His films Memento, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight Rises all demonstrate this. By showing key parts of the plot that at first do not make sense if seen separately, Nolan is able to add suspense to his story by telling it in this fashion. However, Nolan makes the viewer curious about the events that lead up to such a significant occasion, which heightens the suspense. In the opening scene of Memento, director Christopher Nolan shows Leonard Shelby, the main character, studying a photograph of a deceased person.

The scene proceeds to rewind itself as the viewer becomes aware that Leonard in fact shot this man and has taken a picture of his dead body. Then, the film cuts to the first scene in the chronological order of the story. Throughout the film, Nolan switches between shooting in black and white and in color, showing the scenes unfolding in chronological order in black and white, and those that are counting backwards in the story in color. The film finally ends with the chronological middle of the story as both the colored and black and white scenes come to a point of equilibrium. This technique is used to a lesser degree in films such as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises where crucial scenes in earlier portions of the story are shown later in the movie and vice versa. Bruce Wayne’s actions begin to carry more weight and meaning with respect to his childhood as his troubled past is slowly revealed alongside the main plot line. Nolan’s expert use of non-linear storytelling helps the plot of his films pack more of a punch.

He has only made 11 films so far, but with each one he has expanded the parameters of the genre it was supposed to be in. The crime and mystery genre came next, and with Memento, he completely altered how scripts are written. The Dark Knight Trilogy was a complete masterclass in how to make superhero films seem current and genuine while urging us to put down the popcorn and become fully immersed in the forging of a legend.

The Prestige was a magic trick that was performed on us. Inception was his take on the heist genre that took us inside the very deep layers of the subconscious which literally bended our minds. With Interstellar he took us outside, beyond the Milky Way, on a mesmerizing, cerebral journey through the universe with a poignant, emotional core at it’s heart. With Dunkirk, he put us right in the middle of World War II and asked us to experience firsthand the thrilling survival of fellow humans in wartime.

And with Tenet, he has taken on the spy-espionage genre and added Science Fiction into the mix. And boy, that’s one heck of a ride. You’ve never seen anything like it

Aside from revealing the plot in an unorthodox manner, Nolan has strayed from the typical Hollywood manner of using special effects in every way possible. Prime examples of this are Inception and Interstellar. While much of what happens in the dream world of Inception is computer generated, one specific scene stands out when viewing the film.

A scene in which Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character is fighting against a goon in a dream world sees the two characters go at each other in a rotating hallway. While most directors would not even attempt such a scene, let alone use CGI, Nolan did the unthinkable and filmed the entire shot using practical effects. Using a massive centrifuge, he shot the scene with the actors performing inside a literal rotating hallway. Filming in such a manner added an extra level of realism to the scene, with Gordon-Levitt himself stating that he loved it and that there is “no replacement for real, human energy and performance.” Similarly, in Interstellar, in a truly breathtaking scene where the protagonists explore a vast ice planet, Nolan opted to film without the use of a green screen and no CGI for the background. Instead, he filmed on site at glaciers in Iceland, providing a beautiful backdrop for a crucial scene where the protagonists arrive on a new planet. Something that picturesque is very hard to fake, so Nolan’s decision to film the scene in such a manner adds a unique sense of authenticity, one that the actors fed off.

Through his very insightful and entertaining filmography, it is no surprise that Nolan continues to experience success within the world of cinema. With the impending release of oppenhimer in 21st July 2023, we should all be very excited to see the film he has in store.