The Odyssey Director Christopher Nolan Says Getting Told Off by His Brother Over Memento Means He Will Never Explain Any of His Movies

Christopher Nolan is celebrated for movies packed with ambiguity, peculiarly implicit their endings. There are countless instrumentality explanations for everything from Inception to Interstellar that effort to travel to immoderate benignant of statement astir what has really happened. Nolan, though, volition ne'er connection the authoritative mentation himself — and that’s due to the fact that his member told him disconnected for doing conscionable that with Memento.

Memento, similar truthful galore Nolan movies, is packed with twists and turns and leaves the spectator wondering what it was each about. We won’t spoil thing present successful lawsuit you haven’t seen it (you should, it’s great!), but, arsenic Nolan told Jon Stewart connected The Daily Show, Memento is astatine the bosom of the celebrated filmmaker’s approach.

“I ne'er similar to specify the acquisition for the audience,” helium began. “And so, for me, determination are ambiguities. There are questions. There are layers successful which things tin work.”

Nolan said that helium knows the information of his films — helium has to for them to marque consciousness arsenic he’s making them. But helium won’t springiness the assemblage the answers they want. Instead, he’s keeping them to himself.

“I person to cognize the answer,” helium said “I person to cognize what I judge the reply to be. And then, otherwise, the ambiguities won't beryllium productive. There volition beryllium a benignant of non-answer, arsenic opposed to — if you look astatine the ending of Inception, for example, the spinning apical and radical often volition inquire me, you know…”

At this constituent Nolan explained however his brother, Jonathan Nolan, influenced his philosophy.

Christopher Nolan says helium won't ever explicate his movies. Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Universal Pictures.

“The archetypal clip I ever took a movie truly retired determination and did a clump of interviews connected it was Memento,” helium said. “And that's a movie that I wrote based connected a abbreviated communicative that my member had written. And helium came with america to the Venice Film Festival, wherever we premiered it. And close afterwards, I was asked a clump of questions. And they asked maine astir the ambiguity of the end. And I said, ‘Well, it's meant to beryllium up to you. But I deliberation it's this, this, this.’ And helium took maine aside, and he's like, ‘Nobody heard the archetypal portion wherever they said it's meant to beryllium up to you. All they perceive is what you say. Your mentation trumps everything. You tin ne'er bash that again.’ And helium was right. And I ne'er person since then.”

While Inception is possibly Nolan’s astir celebrated ‘ending explained’ movie, expect plentifulness of ambiguity successful The Odyssey, too. Nolan leaves plentifulness to the viewer’s imagination, including the reliability of each character’s experience. The Odyssey hits theaters July 17, 2026.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].