“It was funny… and it was dark”: Christopher Nolan’s Obsession With Plot Twist Endings Even Extended to His Career’s First 8-Minute Short
- It appears as though plot twists and complex storylines were always a part of Christopher Nolan’s plans. since his earliest works also feature similar themes.
- The unavailability of Larceny has driven some fans crazy, who wish to immerse themselves in Nolan’s full filmography.
- If Nolan does not want the movie to come out, then he will go to the ends of the Earth to make sure it remains that way.
In a list of exceptional movie-making maestros, it’s impossible not to count Christopher Nolan for his unparalleled contribution to the industry. The director is known for his twisted tales that don’t conform to the usual standards of storytelling principles. From Interstellar to Dunkirk, all his works redefine the way the masses view thriller movies.
At the same time, it appears as though plot twists and complex storylines were always a part of Nolan’s plans, since his earliest works also feature similar themes.
Christopher Nolan’s first short film marked his love for twist endings
It feels impossible to watch a movie by ace director and storyteller Christopher Nolan and not leave wanting more. Stories in his universe feel never-ending as they continue to linger on the screen and in our minds long after the reel ends. His passion for twist endings and making the viewer think have been his guiding light ever since he began his career.
When Nolan was a part of the University College London Film Society, he single-handedly wrote and shot a short film titled Larceny that featured British actor Jeremy Theobald. However, the film is not available on any public platform for his fans to enjoy. It was only premiered at a film festival back in 1996. In the book Christopher Nolan: A Critical Study of the Films, Theobald describes Larceny as,
This was unlike all the other film society scripts at the time that I’d read, which were quite surreal … slamming doors of train on Euston Station, when trains had doors that could slam. This was witty. It was funny, it was pithy, and it was dark. It had a great twist at the end. I was offered the lead part in that. And that became Larceny, the ten-minute short that we shot in one weekend in Chris’ flat. A Saturday and a Sunday.
The unavailability of Larceny has driven some fans crazy who wish to immerse themselves in Nolan’s full filmography. The director is known to take matters of his creative rights very seriously, so unless he permits, the short film may never see the light of day on a public platform.
Christopher Nolan is known for guarding his work carefully
If Nolan does not want the movie to come out, then he will go to the ends of the Earth to make sure it remains that way. Back in 2021, when an enthusiastic fan tracked down a copy of Nolan’s other short movie titled Tarantella which he made in 1990, the director didn’t wait a second before he filed a lawsuit.
The Inception director’s production company filed a copyright infringement lawsuit on Vimeo, where the movie was posted. The platform had to eventually remove the movie, further showing how strict and particular Nolan is about his work. Some fans guess that this excessive secrecy is because he plans to develop Larceny into a full-feature movie. Others claim he made the movie just for himself, so maybe he wishes to keep that one a secret.
