For J. Robert Oppenheimer and his scientists at Los Alamos, every electron had to be accounted for and understood if “the gadget” was going to work. It’s not the same for Christopher Nolan’s movies.
In a multi-part conversation with Stephen Colbert (held in Albert Einstein’s old office at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey), the 53-year-old writer-director up and three-time 2024 Oscar nominee explained that simply “experiencing” his films was tantamount “getting them.”
“Where people encounter frustrations with my narratives, they are slightly missing the point. It’s not a puzzle to be unpacked,” Nolan said, adding that if certain things resonate and people debate them “that’s a huge bonus.”
Colbert then playfully confronted Nolan, asking if he understood everything in the time-travel action-thriller “Tenet.”
“You’re not meant to understand everything in ‘Tenet,’” he responded. “It’s not all comprehensible.”
And with that, everyone who has ever had to hit pause and say “wait, wait, wait, what really is a temporal pincer move?” felt a great moment of relief.
Nolan continued, “It’s a bit like asking if I know what happens to the spinning top at the end of ‘Inception,’” to which, of course, Colbert said he needed to know if Nolan did know what happens to the spinning top at the end of “Inception.”
“I have to have my idea of it for it to be a productive ambiguity,” Nolan said, which does make sense … but is still a little annoying.
Colbert then hit Nolan with the popular fan theory that Robert Pattinson’s “Tenet” character Neil is really the grown-up version of Max, the son of characters played by Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh. “I don’t allow myself to comment on fan theories anymore,” Nolan said.
Colbert implored him to “kick off his shoes” and answer this one, but it wasn’t happening. Then they started talking about the “Fast & Furious” movies, and Colbert caught the great brainiac auteur temporarily befuddled about the timeline of the franchise. You can watch that very funny moment here.
“Oppenheimer” landed 13 Oscar nominations this year, including Best Picture, Best Director for Nolan, Best Adapted Screenplay for Nolan, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr., and Best Supporting Actress for Emily Blunt. The film is heavily favored to win multiple Oscars next month, including recognition for Nolan in the directing category. The acclaimed blockbuster filmmaker has never won an Oscar.
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