While there’s definitely *some* overlap in the directing style of Nolan and Fincher, their individual preoccupations (mechanics vs psychology) really effect the final product. I think that’s why Nolan keeps making heist movies and Fincher keeps making serial killer movies

Nolan doesn’t really care about what his characters think or feel, but that’s all Fincher cares about, and tbh that’s why I find his work more interesting.

But I’m gonna try to articulate what I see is a major difference, and that’s how they characterize their obsessive, hyper motivated protagonists. Bear with:

A Nolan film protagonist is obsessed with something—their job usually—to the point that they’re kind of one dimensional, competence is their only real trait. I think he knows that’s alienating, so he always includes a family, child, wife, friend, someone to humanize him.

A Fincher protagonist is equally single minded and obsessive to the point alienating, but other characters in the story don’t serve to make them likeable, they’re there to show you precisely how fucked up the protagonist’s behaviour is

Like one is writing an alienating character with humanizing elements bc characters are a perfunctory check box necessary to storytelling, and the other is writing an all too human character with the intention of making you feel uncomfortable with your own sympathy

And Mindhunter is the like peak example of this—Holden is mild mannered and motivated to do the right thing, but bc he empathizes so strongly with serial killers he creeps everyone out...and we’re creeped out bc we empathize with Holden

They’re like bizarro versions of one another. A Nolan protagonist can’t be allowed to be too alienating. a Fincher protagonist can’t be allowed to be too likeable.

While on paper, they’re the same kind of obsessive, a Nolan protagonist is a mastermind, they have expert knowledge and skills at the beginning of the story. A Fincher protagonist is a detective who’s usually out of their depth, which also puts us in their perspective

Per usual, I’m not sure where I’m going with this observation, I just feel like when I see film bros geek out over Nolan there’s a notable lack of discussion of how great his characters are for a reason...they’re like action figures that make the Swiss watch plot go

It makes his movies great fodder for “explained” videos—even when they’re not particularly complex, they’re highly mechanical. Personally, I find them hard to engage with, not because they’re confusing, but because his characters lack interiority beyond “obsessed with work”