The Director's Series, Christopher Nolan No. 5


Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

Dunkirk (2017)
Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, and Kenneth Branagh
Director: Christopher Nolan
About: We're coming to the end of the first round and have arrived at my top two directors. The first is Nolan, who I have loved since I was first introduced to his work. It is hard to narrow it down to five films, which resulted in some tough cuts. But, to begin, I added Dunkirk. This is one of his shortest films, but also one of his most ambitious. It tells the story of a crucial battle in World War II from the perspective of three groups. The way it bends time to see how these stories intersect is fascinating. It's deeply emotional, beautifully shot, and tells the story of a deeply important battle to England. It's one of the reasons Nolan is such a great and talented filmmaker. What he does with this film is exceptional.

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