The most common critique of Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey is that it is cold, detached. Clinical. Kubrick had no emotional investment in his characters in that movie, and they only served as catalysts for the plot. Interstellar is director Christopher Nolan’s epic, sweeping counterpoint to Kubrick’s coldness. It seems clear to me that Nolan was not only inspired by, but was possibly obsessed with Kubrick’s film while he crafted his own.
True Stories is a quiet film. Despite all the great music and the zaniness of the characters, the natural tide it creates is meant to sweep the audience gently along with it. While watching it, I couldn’t help but sit with a bemused grin on my face from start to finish.