The Curious Case of Chris Nolan

It was two years all over again as Chris Nolan, director of the commercially successful Inception, wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.

It was shocking, admittedly, especially that the Coens (directors of True Grit) were the ones who are nominated but nowhere to be seen in those critics director’s list nominees prior. I don’t know the reason for this snub, or if there is any reason at all. All I do know that it was, well, rather odd.

But to think more about Nolan and his films, the real star of his craft is the story. As I look at it deeply, Inception, though successful in every technical aspect, seems to be cold in the acting department. It is a very cool, polished film, but the only emotional impact I got from it are from Cillian Murphy’s and Marion Cotillard’s characters. 

 Chris Nolan’s films are like that if I think about it. With the exception of Batman Begins, which is a great character study of Bruce Wayne, the main driving force of his films is always the story, not the actors, and this is the reason why I think he is snubbed.

His films rely too much on twist and turns and gimmicks. This isn’t wrong or anything, but it isn’t in the Academy’s taste. They like directors who bring out the best on every actor who can showcase a memorable film clip that delivers a great acting scene. Was there any in Inception? The most memorable scene out of the entire film is the no-gravity sequence, and that doesn’t really showcase Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s emotional acting abilities, but more of Nolan’s genius.

I did watch True Grit and I was bored to tears (I need to watch it again perhaps in the cinema though, maybe the impact will be different). But I can see why the Academy chose The Coens than Nolan. True Grit is made for these types of award shows, Inception is not. Now is True Grit a better directed film than Inception? Apples and oranges really. All I know is that I loved Inception more.