Whenever a Nolan film is about to be released, one thing is guaranteed: we'll once again be able to enjoy the genius of a truly unique and creative director . That's precisely why we didn't want to wait any longer to revisit his best films —those that, whether for their themes or filming techniques, we believe are worth watching at least once. Get comfortable.
Christopher Nolan, a director on the rise
For many, knowing that Nolan is behind a movie is already a sign of guarantee. It is what he has to have such a good career, in which many of his films are real headaches.
Christopher was born in London, England, in 1970, and practically from childhood knew he wanted to dedicate himself to the world of cinema. Despite this, Nolan studied English literature, although he combined his university studies with some short film work at a film school in the British city.
Currently, the director, screenwriter, and producer has been nominated five times for Best Director at the Oscars (though he hasn't won yet) and is considered one of the best in his field, with a large and devoted fanbase. Why? Because he typically tackles complex themes with considerable originality and rigor , always offering us new ideas while providing a visually stunning experience.
His filmography isn't anything to write home about, but instead of summarizing it all (which you can find in any film guide), we're going to select our favorite titles by the director, explaining why you should watch them if you haven't already, and that way you can satisfy your craving for more if, after Oppenheimer, you're still hungry for more.
Nolan's best movies
Below, we've selected the best Christopher Nolan films and explained why you should watch them (or rewatch them) if you haven't already. Do you agree with our selection?
Memento
Let's just say it's the film that catapulted the director to fame. It's based on a short story written by his brother, Jonathan Nolan, which was published a year after the film's release. The thriller premiered in 2000, stars Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay and two Oscars (for Original Screenplay and Editing).
The most distinctive aspect of the film is its completely disordered narrative, interweaving present-day moments with past scenes and black-and-white sequences. The story introduces us to Leonard, a man who, after an accident, suffers trauma that causes anterograde amnesia, meaning he is unable to form new memories immediately, forgetting what he has done, said, or seen minutes later. Despite this, he attempts to find his wife's killer (the cause of his condition), employing a variety of memory techniques such as notes, photographs, and tattoos.
Insomnia
A couple of years after Memento, Nolan returned to theaters with Insomnia. While this film doesn't feature any of the director's typical "tricks" or strange plot twists, it offers an interesting story (based on a 90s Norwegian film) that deals with obsession and insomnia, and boasts a stellar cast: Al Pacino and the late Robin Williams.
Why should you watch it? Well, because it's arguably the director's most traditional film , and it's always interesting to see him working in more "normal" settings. Many have sometimes called it boring, but that's perhaps an unfair way to describe a film that simply doesn't have the surprises we've come to expect from Nolan.
The Dark Knight
Nolan has directed several Batman films, with The Dark Knight undoubtedly being the most outstanding. Released in 2008, it consistently appears in rankings of the best films about the superhero and is often chosen as the best Batman movie to date.
A very good production, a fantastic soundtrack (with Hans Zimmer holding the baton) and a cast in which we even have what is considered by many to be the best Joker in history (Heath Ledger) were the keys for the film to win two Oscars and became the favorite of many fans (and even not so fans) of the character.
Inception
In 2010, one of Nolan's most famous films, and one that best represents his work, arrived in theaters. We're talking about Inception (released in Spain as Origen), a film that explores dreams and the different states or levels that exist when we fall into the arms of Morpheus.
The possibility of accessing them through a compound and altering a person's personal decisions is clearly the realm of the director's imagination, but it remains a tremendously entertaining, intelligent, and unique film that is sure to leave no one indifferent and whose ending continues to be a subject of debate to this day. The cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, and Michael Caine, among others. It won four Oscars (and was nominated for four others).
Interstellar
Christopher Nolan made us wait until 2014 to give us one of the best films of his entire career and one of the most outstanding titles about space travel ever created. With a breathtaking soundtrack (once again by Hans Zimmer), the film tells the story of Joseph Cooper, a former engineer who decides to leave his family and embark on a NASA mission in search of another habitable planet as Earth's resources are dwindling.
Although it has some exceptions that favor spectacular effects, many scientists have praised Nolan's meticulousness in this work, with a realism rarely seen in a film of this kind (his wormhole deserves special mention). A fantastic story, full of special effects, that won numerous awards and remains a favorite among many viewers and fans of the director. Essential viewing.
Dunkirk
The last film Nolan directed before Tenet was Dunkirk. Far removed from the paranoia of dreams, obsessions, or memory, this film, released in 2017, centers its plot on a real event: Operation Dynamo, an early campaign carried out by the United Kingdom after the Nazi German invasion of France with the aim of evacuating and rescuing some 400.000 soldiers who were in France during World War II.
Critically acclaimed, this film boasts a narrative approach set in three distinct locations (beach, sea, and air) across different time periods. The soundtrack (yes, by Zimmer) masterfully complements this war story, making it one of the most outstanding of recent years. A must-see.
Oppenheimer
Once again, Nolan focuses on a historical event to create what has been, to date, his highest-grossing film—who would have thought it? Following Oppenheimer, we encounter the story of how J. Robert Oppenheimer built the atomic bomb , directing the famous Manhattan Project for the US government. We learn about the theoretical physicist and the steps he took to culminate his work in the most powerful weapon of mass destruction in existence. We also discover what became of Oppenheimer afterward, when he began to regret what he had done and the United States turned its back on him.
Well directed and told, the film has, as always, great rigor in its story and memorable performances such as that of Cillian Murphy, in charge of giving life to the protagonist. This has made it the most successful film in Nolan's filmography and a phenomenon that has (unexpectedly) exploded at the box office.