Everyone knows Christopher Nolan, the director who has made some truly mind-blowing movies in the 21st century, like Inception, Interstellar, and Tenet and now, Oppenheimer. His talent lies in crafting unique narratives that push the boundaries of our understanding of reality. However, does the celebrated filmmaker care whether his audience understands his films?

In an interview with HugoDécrypte on YouTube, Nolan discussed his approach to filmmaking and his expectations of the audience. He emphasized that while his films may be complex; he doesn’t necessarily expect viewers to grasp every detail. Instead, he hopes they react to the stories he presents. He cited a line from his 2020 sci-fi thriller Tenet, which also served as the film’s tagline: “Don’t try to understand it, just feel it.”

Nolan values maintaining an air of mystery in his storytelling and avoids spoon-feeding information to the viewers. According to him, his role as a filmmaker is about guiding the audience through the mystery rather than providing explicit explanations. It is his philosophy that stands as the tent pole of nearly every masterpiece that he has created so far.

Christopher Nolan has established himself as an acclaimed filmmaker known for his thought-provoking movies in the past twenty years. One aspect that sets his films apart is their innovative approach to storytelling. In expressing his perspective on the evolution of film storytelling, Nolan acknowledges the influence of television in encouraging linear and straightforward narratives. However, he leans towards exploring daring and captivating ways to convey stories on the big screen.

And it is even interesting to note that Nolan claims that he filmed Oppenheimer with “zero CGI!”

How Director Christopher Nolan pieced Oppenheimer together

Christopher Nolan’s recent film, Oppenheimer is a true work of art that showcases the incredible journey of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant physicist who led the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II to develop the atomic bomb. The movie features a cast including Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer alongside talented actors like Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and Florence Pugh. Crafting Oppenheimer presented Nolan with technical and artistic challenges to overcome. Moreover, striking a balance between gripping historical drama and thrilling action was crucial for him.

One of these involved recreating the settings and events from the 1930s and 1940s when Oppenheimer’s story unfolded. This included bringing to life locations such as the physicist’s New Mexico residence, the Trinity test site, and even capturing the intense Senate hearing where he faced allegations of being a communist sympathizer.

The director has a knack for preferring practical effects over CGI and he did the same. The result is a critical and commercial success! Oppenheimer is now running in theaters and has surpassed $95 million domestically in the US and over $200 million globally.

What did you think of Oppenheimer? What are your favorite Christopher Nolan Movies? Let us know in the comments below.