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With the rise of short-form video, an explosion of social media content, and highly niche entertainment options, a common narrative has emerged: that younger audiences have dwindling attention spans, lacking the patience to sit through a full-length feature film. However, director Christopher Nolan recently told "The Telegraph" that he completely disagrees with that assessment.
Nolan stated: "I think cinema is still vital and is constantly transforming. We have great young directors like Korey Baker and Kane Parsons who are internalising the medium and pushing it forward. That’s why I never buy into the idea that the attention span of the younger audience is too short to appreciate a three-hour Greek epic like 'The Odyssey.' Those films are so mysterious and thought-provoking. I mean, watching some of 'The Backrooms' is like watching the most obscure David Lynch, and yet young people absolutely love it."
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Nolan also expressed his admiration for Baker's and Parsons' clear opposition to using AI, which he finds gratifying. "I’ve never in my life seen a technology that was so comprehensively and immediately rejected by the society that it’s supposed to be a breakthrough for," he said. "People have put so much energy into introducing artificial intelligence, but if you look at the reaction of the younger generation, they just completely reject it."
Nolan continued, "My kids are very blunt and harsh about the crudeness of artificial intelligence. They see it for what it is very quickly — and it’s easier for them to identify because it’s derived from the internet, which they’re so familiar with. While that doesn’t mean every aspect of the technology is useless or meaningless, in the world of filmmaking, it’s arrived at exactly the wrong time. After years of embracing a highly virtualised environment for creating film and television, we’re now seeing a renewed interest in more tangible, more realistic methods of storytelling."
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Nolan is famously averse to CG in his filmmaking, and he holds a similar aversion to certain technologies in his personal life. It’s long been known that the director doesn’t use a cell phone, and he admitted to "The Telegraph" for the first time that one reason is a fear of addiction. "You people with your phones, you’ve all become the Pod people from 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' (laughs)! But I do worry that the world will eventually force my hand, because the return of the QR code since the pandemic has been particularly troubling for me."
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Nolan went on to explain, "Part of the reason I don’t have a phone is I know that if I did, I would be addicted to it and spend all my time looking things up. And I find that the moments where everybody else is on their phone are the moments when I get to think about what’s next for my film — waiting for a train, at the airport, or waiting for someone to arrive at a restaurant. It’s those moments that allow me to clarify what I’m supposed to be doing."
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Nolan also mentioned, "The cinema I go to a lot is the Vista in Los Angeles, which Quentin Tarantino owns. They have a very strict policy on smartphone and smartwatch use: if you need to make a call or check your phone, you have to go out into the lobby, which I think is great. Also, I’ll give them a plug: the Vista plays the soundtrack of the film in the bathrooms, so if you have to nip out, you don’t miss anything."
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However, Nolan doesn't agree with Tarantino's stated reason for planning to retire after ten films—the idea that many directors' work declines later in their careers.
"I think that’s a dangerous way to look at it," Nolan explained. "I understand Quentin’s reasons, and I respect them, but I hope he doesn’t actually stick to his promise. I approach every film as if it’s my last, and one day, it will be. So I just want to pour all my energy into the project I’m currently nurturing. I never think, ‘Let’s save that idea for the next one.’ I’ve never thought that way. I want every film to be everything I have to give."