The Director Defends his Least Popular Film
A few hours ago, we shared this recent statement from Christopher Nolan, who explained why he no longer wanted to respond to fan theories. A statement that notably echoes one of the famous director’s works, Tenet (2020), the filmmaker then took the opportunity to defend his latest science fiction film.
When Christopher Nolan defends Tenet
Christopher Nolan is considered one of the most influential directors of his time and undoubtedly one of the most recognized filmmakers today. After becoming known in 2000 with his film, Memento Nolan continued his rise in the world of cinema with other feature films that are now true classics, like the trilogy The Dark Knight but also Prestige (2006), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014) or even Dunkirk (2017). More recently, he again distinguished himself with Oppenheimer (2023), a biopic about the man nicknamed “the father of the atomic bomb.”
And if Nolan has been able to seduce the public through his projects, it is thanks to his gripping intrigues and the themes he addresses in his films. And among the subjects that come up regularly, we find, in particular, the construction of time. A crucial element in the movie Interstellar, but also in Tenet. Indeed, this notion occupies a central place in the story of his 11th feature film, so much so that the complexity of the plot somewhat took many aback.
On this point in particular, the director returned during his recent appearance on the show The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. After explaining why he wanted to leave doubt by no longer responding to fan theories, Nolan returned to his 2020 film, saying this :
You’re not supposed to understand everything that happens in Tenet. Not everything is understandable. It’s a bit like being asked if I know what happens to the top at the end of Inception. I have to have some idea of it for it to be a valid and productive ambiguity, but the bottom line is that it is an ambiguity.
The filmmaker clarifies his thoughts by explaining that he prefers emphasize the experience that the viewer will have rather than the resolution of the plot as such. Nolan continued:
I think if people have been frustrated by my stories in the past, it’s sometimes because they haven’t gotten the point. This is not a puzzle to be solved. It’s an experience to be had, preferably in a cinema, but also at home.
And to find out what is this tribute paid by Nolan to Denis Villeneuve by comparing Dune 2 to one of the best films in the Star Wars saga see our previous article on the subject, right here.