Movies - TV
Christopher Nolan's Insomnia Was Never Meant To Be A 'Follow-Up' To Memento
By JOE ROBERTS
For his first studio project, Christopher Nolan joined up with Warner Bros. for the 2002 crime thriller “Insomnia.” Many thought “Insomnia” would be a follow-up to Nolan’s neo-noir mystery thriller “Memento,” which caused quite a stir in 2000 with its innovative filmmaking techniques, but “Insomnia” proved to be a much more conventional movie.
In fact, according to Nolan, it wasn't even a follow-up at all. He told MovieWeb, “To be honest I started work on ‘Insomnia’ some months before ‘Memento’ was even released in theaters, so I wasn't really having to view ‘Insomnia’ necessarily as a follow-up in the sense that people would question it because no one really knew the extent ‘Memento’ would get out there at the time.”
Much of why “Insomnia” feels like a more traditional film than its predecessor is likely down to the fact Nolan was not only adapting an existing work but that he was under more pressure than with “Memento.” “Insomnia” proved to be a much more hectic and time-constrained shoot compared to “Memento,” where Nolan had the time to rehearse with his cast and crew.