Why The 8 Biggest Criticisms Of Christopher Nolan Are Wrong
6. Weak Female Characters
The Criticism: This is one of the most prominent criticisms of Nolan's films; he consistently writes weak female characters. They tend to fall into three camps - good guy, bad guy and dead motivation for the male protagonist. No wonder only two of his films pass the Bechdel Test (The Dark Knight and Inception if you were curious). The Defence: There may not be women bursting from the seams of his movies, but to dismiss those that are there as weak is a little flat. The Dark Knight Trilogy has Rachel Dawes, Miranda Tate and Selina Kyle, Inception has Mal, The Prestige has Sarah and Olivia, Memento has Natalie and Insomnia has Officer Burr. None of these (not even Rachel, who, despite her explosive end being her most memorable moment, had a clearly defined characterisation) fit the traditional cinematic roles and while there's certainly some overarching types, they're far from generic cut-outs. They're not explored as in-depth as the male characters, but that stems from the aims of the movies; Nolan's films are all, to some degree, looking at perceived masculinity and thus will always have a more male-oriented slant. The hero troubled by the loss of a female loved one is one of his biggest running traits, which doesn't always allow for the most female interaction. But limited women does not equal weak characters.