While Christopher Nolan has set a new gold standard for filmmaking over the last decade, his films share a lot of elements. An infographic has finally nailed down the 40-year-old director’s career into a nifty flowchart. If you are ever confused as to which Nolan film you are actually watching, the answers lie within this graphic.
One aspect Nolan’s films share is the “well-dressed morally-ambiguous protagonist,” as Entertainment Weekly‘s unique infographic explains. The key to recognizing one of his movies begins with the main character. From the beginning of his feature film career, Nolan has established a main character whose goals are specific, but intentions are questionable.
As the flowchart progresses, it grows more specific. Instead of forcing humor, there are laughs within the truth to the it. For instance, one of the questions is, “Who is an English woman played by?”
Without dwelling on the beauty of the infographic, just take a look at it and notice the connection between all of his films. I’d love to see somebody come up with a “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”-style flowchart for the actors in Nolan’s films. Soon enough, we may find that everybody in his Batman trilogy was in Inception.
Insomnia sits alone in the corner of this infographic, but still shares the dead family member story arc with most of the other films. Memento, The Prestige and Following all feature a woman with a dark side. If you haven’t seen the latter film, it is living proof of a future film guru.
Nobody is calling Christopher Nolan’s films unoriginal. Each one has a unique aesthetic that sets it apart from his other work. Yet, he has stayed true to a core concept that works. His films continue to get better, while only making slight tweaks to his specific style of storytelling.
You can guarantee at least one more Nolan film will fit this flowchart. The director will continue his Batman franchise, featuring the morally-ambiguous protagonist who dresses up like a bat.
