Christopher Nolan’s
First Eerie Short Film - Doodlebug
Doodlebug is an early Christopher Nolan psychological thriller short. It is a three-minute black and white film that he made during his college years. Nolan has directed classics such as Memento, The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Inception, and recently, Tenet. His movies have a psychological edge that borders on the fantastic; in Inception, the world of dreams is explored to reveal hidden aspirations and change the mind of a successful businessman who forfeits his father’s empire to destroy his energy monopoly. Memento explored memory by spotlighting a man with no recollection of his past. Tattoos and notes trace the history of what happened to him and his wife. These movies have an edge unique to Nolan and his talents.
Doodlebug is about a nervous and isolated man who tries to crush a bug with a shoe while holed up in his filthy room. The bug keeps running away until it transforms into a miniature version of the man. The image of the bug-man grows larger until it overtakes the screen. This film is a Kafkaesque exploration of the human psyche under pressure and distortion. The protagonist loses his mind and juxtaposes himself with the bug to highlight his insignificance.
Jeremy Theobald plays the man, and his nuanced, psychotic performance highlights the insanity of the character. Doodlebug captures the process of descending into insanity. Christopher Nolan hires his brother, Jonathan Nolan, creator of Westworld, as a grip. The Nolan brothers have collaborated on many creative projects, writing for the films The Dark Knight and The Prestige and workshopping Westworld. Nolan finds inspiration in the human condition and plays with it to varying degrees.
If you’ve got the bug to view a “creepy-crawly” thriller, you can find Doodlebug streaming online.
