There is an old saying that the director will always make the same movie throughout his life. After the first film came out, the rest of the works were repeating themselves, but the way of repeating was different. In my opinion, it seems that no director can break this rule as a special case. Even Li Ang, who has a wide range of styles, has never forgotten the irreconcilable contradiction between the pressure of his father's generation and his own desire throughout his creative career. Even [Lust Caution] and [Manufacturing Woodstock], whose styles and themes look completely different, are still the same ancestry when you think about it carefully.
But I like the statement of one of my film class appreciation teachers. She said that a person’s favorite movie contains his childhood. The things that affected him in his childhood will continue to affect his life. So that he had to answer it all his life, so as to gain peace. In this view, Christopher Nolan may have a childhood similar to Hitchcock or even Poe. Otherwise, how could his works be filled with such poetic panic.
When you feel lonely, you can't help but follow some people. The sea of people is huge, and they will suddenly enlarge because of your following. Their desire and decadence are like prey attracting you to approach, and you seem to have the truth because of this. The protagonist in the movie travels through the wet and dim city streets, following those who are in a hurry without any direction. He is impoverished and has no skill, so he can only rely on such proximity to smell a hint of fulfillment. Until one day, he was found out by an expert, but he strayed into the pre-planned murder bureau.
You can completely regard [Follow] as the predecessor of [Memory Fragment], because both the emotions expressed and the editing techniques are too similar.
Christopher Nolan has an innate sense of alienation. He is full of doubts and love for humanity and society. And this kind of suspicion and love makes his protagonists at a loss in the crowd. Ultra-high IQ and sophisticated theories can't make them invincible in the middle of the game, and they are vulnerable to being exploited. There is no certain truth, including oneself. Because people are easily misled, they are also full of lies under the benefit. So love is probably not true, and the person who is in love may be just a complicity in the killing. A steadfast faith is only one link in the interests of others. When everything was discovered, it was too late. I can only stand on the spot and look at nothing, even knowing it seems to be a charity. Because concealment is worthless.
Perhaps this is Christopher Nolan's world, strong and fragile. The insecurities that penetrated from his bones dominated his romantic feelings.
[Follow] As a student work with almost zero investment, it is undoubtedly shocking. Its level of excellence is no less than that of Jia Zhangke's [Xiaowu] or Tarkovsky's [Return], which is also the debut work. After that, Nolan also directed his favorite Batman series with his excellent creative ability. He became a first-line director. And his tranquility and coldness, like a pessimistic flower, has become the most wonderful part of today's film scene.
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