Before Christopher Nolan became known for directing blockbuster hits like Interstellar and Oppenheimer, he started with modest projects made on tight budgets alongside friends in Great Britain. While many recognize his 1998 feature debut Following, true enthusiasts of Nolan’s work should explore his three-minute experimental short film, Doodlebug. Recently restored by the Criterion Collection as a supplement to their Blu-ray of Following, Doodlebug exposes an early, abstract side of Nolan’s artistic vision, heavily influenced by the dreamlike surrealism of David Lynch. This short underlines Nolan’s latent affinity for horror and psychological tension.
Tracing Nolan’s Neo-Noir and Experimental Roots
Today, Nolan is famous for expansive sci-fi and dramatic war films, but his initial rise was grounded in neo-noirs marked by sleek style and inventive filmmaking. His feature Memento brought him critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination, exhibiting a polished craftsmanship unusual for a director so early in his career. His previous directorial works, including Doodlebug and Following, were rougher but ambitious projects shot on 16mm film using natural light, often filmed on weekends because of actor availability and financed through personal networks. As with many of his films, his wife Emma Thomas produced the short.
While studying at University College London, Nolan created Doodlebug in 1997, taking on writing, directing, cinematography, and editing duties himself. The film stars Jeremy Theobald, the later lead in Following, playing a man descending into paranoia who chases an elusive insect or rodent across a cluttered apartment. The character nervously checks a clock and ignores a persistently ringing telephone. In a surreal twist, he eventually captures a miniature version of himself, only to be watched and crushed by an even larger replica, evoking a layered, psychological nightmare. Nolan’s fascination with magic and illusion shines through, crafting a complex narrative with limited means.
“Films are uniquely suited towards addressing paradox, recursiveness, and worlds within worlds,”
Nolan told The Daily Beast, linking Doodlebug’s themes to those that would later appear in Interstellar. The black-and-white visuals and eerie industrial soundtrack parallel David Lynch’s Eraserhead, known for its abstract depiction of anxiety and existential dread connected to parenthood.
How ‘Doodlebug’ Introduced Core Nolan Themes and Style
Doodlebug’s open-ended narrative invites various interpretations, though its effects ring true to Nolan’s evolving storytelling style. The blurred lines between reality and nightmare within the apartment prefigure the mind-bending layers of Inception, while its puzzle-like structure anticipates Memento’s fragmented timeline. The film shares significant tonal and visual elements with Memento’s black-and-white sequences, and Jeremy Theobald’s anxious performance recalls Guy Pearce’s portrayal of Leonard Shelby.
Obsession, a recurring theme across Nolan’s filmography, surfaces in Doodlebug’s protagonist fixated on the crawling creature, much like Dom Cobb’s grief in Inception or the rivalry fueling The Prestige’s magician duel between Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. The mysterious bug turns out to be inconsequential if it exists at all, emphasizing the character’s psychological unraveling rather than the physical reality of his chase.
Despite budget constraints limiting the short’s scope, it clearly reveals Nolan’s early talent for tense, multi-layered narratives marked by restless energy. The ticking clock and ringing phone—strange motifs including a phone trapped in a fishbowl—serve as subtle yet effective threads weaving suspense through the brief film. Nolan’s skill in generating unease and depth from minimal resources makes it obvious that his later large-scale productions, while more polished, build on a foundation of raw creative brilliance.
The Broader Significance of Nolan’s Student Work
Christopher Nolan’s career spans diverse genres, including mystery, heist, sci-fi, and war dramas, but Doodlebug hints at potential that remains unexplored in the horror domain. This short demonstrates how Nolan’s early experiments helped sharpen his ability to unsettle audiences using disorienting sounds and haunted characters. The unknown, whether it manifests in cosmic space, deceptive illusions, or the aftermath of catastrophic events, remains a persistent theme that Nolan embraces with increasing sophistication.
While Nolan is currently engaged in an ambitious project adapting Homer’s Odyssey, fans and critics alike hope he might soon embrace horror cinema, as Doodlebug serves as compelling evidence of his aptitude for this genre. The short stands as a valuable proof-of-concept for Nolan’s capacity to provoke anxiety and fear through abstract storytelling techniques and psychological complexity.
The Cast of Nolan’s Early Feature Following
Nolan’s feature debut, Following, is available for streaming on The Criterion Channel. The cast includes Jeremy Theobald, who starred in both Doodlebug and Following, as well as Alex Haw, Lucy Russell, and John Nolan—his uncle and frequent collaborator. Their performances contribute to the distinctive, intimate atmosphere that defines Nolan’s earliest work and laid the groundwork for his future cinematic achievements.
