Hollywood has had its share of legendary directors.However,very few have managed to delve into the deepest recesses of the human mind,like the genius work of Christopher Nolan.Rarely have we had movie makers challenge their audience..For Christopher Nolan,cinema isn’t only synonymous to entertainment.It is a medium through which he uniquely unfolds the complex layers of the human mind
.The landscape of the mind is compellingly presented by Nolan in each of his films ,two of which are my personal favourites.
Nolan’s most recent work,the Inception is a rare film about the parallel world of human dreams .,In his most challenging work yet,he gives us an insight into how our subconscious is like a safehouse from where or into which others can steal or plant ideas.Our protagonist, Cobb,played by DiCaprio, trains a talented young architect, Ariadne(Ellen Page) to design the landscapes of the dream world.Inside the dream,as they walk on the streets of Paris,Ariadne’s mind turns the city upside down,illustrating the freedom our dreams have to create impossibilities.Besides the creative illustrations of a world without gravity,and human figures as the mind’s projections,the film has an emotional backdrop as well.Nolan reminds his audience that even a clever extractor like Cobb has emotional baggage,his wife,Mal(Marion Cotillard).Her character,underlaid with grey shades,is used to show the obstructions ,memories of Cobb that barricade the smooth flow of the Inception.This reflects how even in our free world of dreams,we often become prisoners of our emotions and succumb to our imperfect,dark side.This,we also see in how Cobb uses Fischer’s troubled relationship with his father to plant the desired idea(splitting his father’s empire) into his head.Like all his films,Nolan challenges his audience,and doesn’t merely entertain.In the final shot of the film,the audience is left guessing whether Cobb’s dream had indeed ended...or whether the whole story was just a manifestation of Cobb’s dream.Through this film,Nolan presents us with a pastige of brilliant shots,reflecting the wide and limitless tapestry of the human mind.From the beginning shot of Cobb lying on sea waves,to his locked building of unpleasant memories,Nolan conveys to us the infinite dimensions of our dream world...and how.!
An earlier venture and arguably his best work is ,The Prestige. Magic is the backdrop against which the protagonists play out their human drama. In this film,Nolan plays with the gaps in the human mind to show how “we choose to be fooled”.,He crafts a story about vicious rivalry between two magicians,which leads to a dangerous life and death eventuality.The audience is asked to ‘watch closely’ as the director stealthily reveals the dark sides of the protagonists.The fim shows the depths of depravity an obsessed mind can go to,to outwit the competitor.Nolan once again challenges his audience to find meaning in his protagonists’ unsaid actions.We wait with bated breath to find out what Tesla’s magic machine can do for Angier’s breakthrough.We wait desperately to know what is the next trick Bordan(Christian Bale) will play on Angier(Hugh Jackman).Their fierce battle remains within the foundation of their love lives.The fight begins with Angier’s mind doubting Bordan as the cause of his wife’s death.Nolan never fails to knit his story together without an emotional context.However,more importantly,it is all ultimately about the mind game.Success only lies on your ability to predict your opponent’s next move,and use his weakness against him.Nolan successfully illustrates how our minds will always be prisoners of illusion,jealousy and emotions in one of his best works,The Prestige.
Although Christopher Nolan’s films require keen observation and an ability to see beyond the obvious,they are never low on entertainment quotient.If you are a true film buff and don’t mind using your grey cells a little more than usual,go ahead and soak yourself in the limitless genius of Christopher Nolan.
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