In his squalid apartment, a man tries to squash with his shoe an insect of some kind that is moving around the room.In his squalid apartment, a man tries to squash with his shoe an insect of some kind that is moving around the room.In his squalid apartment, a man tries to squash with his shoe an insect of some kind that is moving around the room.
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Great atmosphere, interesting story and pretty good execution by Chris Nolan who later will become one of the greatest directors of all time. Kind of an origin story ;)
Doodlebug is a fascinating and clever short film from director Christopher Nolan, made just before his feature debut, Following. This black-and-white film follows a disheveled man in a grubby apartment who is desperately obsessed with hunting and killing a strange little bug that scuttles across his floor.
Despite its very short runtime, the film is a masterclass in building tension and atmosphere. It's a clear blueprint for Nolan's later work, with its focus on a disoriented, paranoid protagonist and a central concept that plays with perception and reality. The grainy, low-budget aesthetic adds to the claustrophobic and unsettling mood, and the film builds a constant sense of unease that leads to a clever and unsettling twist that will stick with you.
The film relies on a single performance and a simple, powerful idea. It's a short, surreal journey that serves as a brilliant example of a filmmaker experimenting with themes he would later explore in a much grander way.
Doodlebug is a must-watch for any fan of Christopher Nolan's work. It's an important early piece that shows a director with a clear vision, and it proves that a great idea is all you need to make a powerful film.
Despite its very short runtime, the film is a masterclass in building tension and atmosphere. It's a clear blueprint for Nolan's later work, with its focus on a disoriented, paranoid protagonist and a central concept that plays with perception and reality. The grainy, low-budget aesthetic adds to the claustrophobic and unsettling mood, and the film builds a constant sense of unease that leads to a clever and unsettling twist that will stick with you.
The film relies on a single performance and a simple, powerful idea. It's a short, surreal journey that serves as a brilliant example of a filmmaker experimenting with themes he would later explore in a much grander way.
Doodlebug is a must-watch for any fan of Christopher Nolan's work. It's an important early piece that shows a director with a clear vision, and it proves that a great idea is all you need to make a powerful film.
I think anyone reading this knows what literally happened as far as the storyline goes. In a dingy apartment, a guy that looks possibly insane, carries a shoe as a little black figure scurries across the floor. But what or who is this creature? Who is the man? I think the man represents the human condition. Man is constantly at battle with those who are lesser than us. We feel the need to conquer and thus we are the ones who pose threat to ourselves. The man hitting the small version of himself with the shoe shows abstractly the very thesis i just said. In hurting others, he really only hurts himself. (i am finding out while writing this that there are several morals or messages that the director wanted to portray, and i am doing none of them justice)
And it honestly isn't that bad. Christopher Nolan accomplished a mediocre twist (that's still a twist) in 3 minutes without using any words at all. I'm gonna do something else now instead of writing a summary that takes over 3 minutes.
The short has a nice style, mysterious, eerie, noir ish.
But I'm not completely engaged by the story or any kind of metaphor going on
Did you know
- TriviaChristopher Nolan shot this film when he was studying English literature in London.
- ConnectionsEdited into Cinema16: British Short Films (2003)
Details
- Release date
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- Also known as
- Doodle Bug
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 3m
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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