On the Loss of Interstellar

Interstellar is a big film, with a big setting, big emotion and big sound and a small, simple issue; loss. Strip away the bombastic narrative, the magnificent, powerful score and the vast and awesome setting and at the heart of Interstellar is a story of loss and Nolan handles this successfully, which explains why the film carries so much emotion.

Although, it is no surprise Nolan is so apt at telling tales of loss; his films, despite their size and misdirection, are mostly retelling a similar story. This is not a criticism. It’s a good story to tell and allows him to anchor his more inventive and fantastic ideas in the real and connect with an audience. Much of Interstellar’s dialogue is (possibly) to do with quantum physics and utilising gravity as a means of communication for black hole, deep space travel. This is of course, if accurate, entirely isolating to all but the 0.001% of the audience qualified in such a field (and they probably downloaded it). But it doesn’t matter as none of this remains after the film’s conclusion. Take away the stunning visuals and what remains is the story of a man desperate to reach his children. Universal, emotional and resonant. 

Again, this isn’t to criticise the effort as Nolan has been here before, with better results. The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005 – 2012) dealt with a man unable to deal with the death of his parents; Memento (2000), the death of a spouse. In 2010, the fusing of emotion and ideas came together in perfect harmony with Nolan’s most complete film, Inception. Here, like Interstellar was a big film with big ideas (this time about the nature of sleep and oneirology) that looked incredible and was about a man desperate to bring his wife back from the dead. Unlike Interstellar, Inception’s narratives (the large and the small) hung together all the way through to the end. Interstellar’s dénouement struggles the longer the film goes on, reaching a point beyond its natural finish. This is unfortunate, but doesn’t as is constantly repeated, Nolan is making the most interesting blockbusters out there.