Happy Birthday Christopher Nolan: A look at the Oppenheimer director's tryst with championing the cause of the anti-hero
As he turns 54, here's taking a look at Christopher Nolan's penchant for championing the cause of the anti-hero across his 11-title filmography
Direction is a painstaking profession, besides of course the glamorous red carpet moments that come one's way — if you're lucky, after the final cut belongs to the audience. Kudos to birthday boy Christopher Nolan then, for making it all, including the unanimous appreciation for his craft, look like a cakewalk. So as the ace Hollywood big wig turns 54, here's taking a look at his favourite cinematic trope of all-time, the rise of the anti-hero, of course in tandem with the complicated yet elite nonlinear narrative, bringing major mainstream applause to it.
Oppenheimer
The 11th film in Christopher Nolan's decorated filmography, Oppenheimer, released in July last year, wrapping, the audiences into a near-plague like Barbenheimer fever. Barbie may have beat Nolan's passion project at the box office zooming past the billion mark, but Oppenheimer made up for the lag fair and square as it literally swept clean the awards season.
Now coming to the (anti) hero of the film, J Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer is a polarising character, not just in American, but global history. The 'father of the atomic bomb', the foremost narrative about the deceased physicist is that of him being the primary enabler of the nuclear full stop to World War II. What is different about Oppenheimer the film, is that Nolan presents the physicist not as a monster, but a human caught between his own conscience and his perceptions of national duty.
Inception
Even for the handful of people who aren't really acquainted with Nolan's commercially packaged, intellectual cinematic regalia, they are bound to have given Leonardo DiCaprio-led Inception (2010). Those who after countless watches have come through with their own understanding of the film, will understand how Inception essentially doesn't have a 'hero' and Nolan's directorship serves as a class apart for this exact reason.
Leonardo's Cobb has his heart in the right place, mostly. But what is atypical about him as somebody who is racing against the clock and right through memories, is his greed and selfishness. What Nolan does, however, is craft a narrative so looped and convincing, that the audience simply doesn't have the time or awareness to grasp onto the many degrees that Cobb falls short when it comes to being a hero. Cobb is flawed, as is everybody and Nolan not only honours that but ensures that most his audience does too.
Memento
Memento for all practical purposes was Christopher Nolan's first commercial feature film. The 2000 release followed a man plagued with anterograde amnesia. The plot thickens as Guy Pearce's Leonard endlessly attempts to avenge his wife's murder. While it is easy to sympathise with Leonard, the plot points that keep unravelling will put you in a world of dilemma as to if Leonard truly deserves the concern or not. If you haven't yet watched Memento, the less said about it to you the better. This is one of those films you just hit play on.
Following
Nolan's first time helming the camera was as iconic as the last time he donned the director's hat with Oppenheimer, albeit at a staggering small scale. Nolan announced his love for looming uncertainties and the noir known with his 1998 debut film Following. The protagonist is a struggling writer, desperately looking for inspiration to kickstart his journey. He resorts to following people around the city in a bid to peek into their lives and hopefully get his creative juices flowing. The fine line between harmless and intruding is thrown to the dogs as the story proceeds. All we have to say about this film is, what's better than one anti-hero? Two of them.
Obvious mention: Nolan's Batman trilogy
One hand Nolan is responsible for crafting mind-bending narratives such as Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014) and Tenet (2020) for the screen. On the other hand, he rather seamlessly makes the transition to massy, commercial bets like the Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), of course, with his own unique touch.
For the cinema intelligentsia, Nolan's Batman trilogy may not rank high among his other critically acclaimed projects. However, one of the many reasons it strikes a chord with the audience is Bruce Wayne's transition between being broken and a saviour — the latter still carrying glimpses of the former even as he redeems Gotham City over and over again. The skillful portrayal of the Joker, immortalised once again courtesy of Heath Ledger, is yet another testament to Nolan's love for the grey, bordering on the dark.
We wish Nolan a very Happy Birthday!