The newest offering from Momento director Christopher Nolan is Insomnia.
Being a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film of the same name that I have
never seen, I can offer no comparison, but this movie peaked my
interest. Christopher Nolan is becoming well known for turning
premises on their head, and he doesn't fail to mix things up a bit
here. What looks and starts off as a typical murder case/detective
movie quickly degrades into the confusion of the sleep deprived that
brings the films moniker.
We start off with the usual, you know, young girl murdered in small
northern town; body shows sign of sociopath so the bad ass city cop is
pulled in to assist local innocent cops. Other then that and the great
white north setting, the similarities between Insomnia and Twin Peaks
ends. Well, not quite. There's a bit of David Lynch-like vagueness and
subject matter there, but well, 'standing on the shoulders of giants'
you know? Imagine if the Laura Palmer case was examined from the eyes
of a sleepless cop with a guilty conscious and there was no
supernatural undertone. This is the all too real side of life that we
know is there but seldom witness firsthand. In Insomnia we are brought
into the real-life blurriness of morality.
Cast well, but not immaculately for some of the smaller parts, Al
Pacino and Robin Williams pull off un-stereotypical parts that you
always knew were in them but haven't been explored until now. This is
the sensitive and at-odds side of Al Pacino's cop characters, and the
darkness behind the genius of Robin Williams. We are sucked into not
only the rich atmosphere of a small mountain town, but also directly
into the mindset and rationale of both characters as they toggle back
and forth with their own demons, both trying their best to stay above
water. This struggle feels fresh because of the perspective and fuels
the entire film. This is one of the most interesting detective/killer
relationships I've seen in a while.
The best thing you won't notice about Insomnia is the score. But
not noticing it is its upside. The score is so subliminal that it
simply bleeds you into the atmosphere. The subtle use of scoring, and
not sound tracking, has been trademark strength in Christopher Nolan's
films. The strong interplay between image and David Julyan's nerve
tingling soundscapes are a large part of what make both Momento and
Insomnia successful in exploring the further reaches of the mind.
David also scored Nolan's first feature film "Following" which was
shot in 16mm black and white film. The linking factor of Christopher
Nolan's films may be his exploration of the dangerous zones of human
perception. They always seem to leave me with this running through my
brain: The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and redemption
or madness may only be a choice away.
Be sure to check out more on Christopher Nolan's films:
memento background:
www.otnemem.com
Unofficial Christopher Nolan site: includes upcoming Hughes
project
www.8ung.at/jduncker/nolan/
BBC Interview:
www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/10/16/ christopher_nolan_i_interview.shtml
Memento Mori : Short Story by Jonathan Nolan that inspired
Memento :
http://www.esquire.com/features/articles/2001/001323_mfr_memento_1.html?GO.X=23/&GO.Y=4
