Imagine a place where the sun never goes down…it’s 3 am and yet light still seeps in through the windows, penetrating every corner. There is no escape from this perpetual daylight, making sleep almost impossible. This is the situation facing Will Dormer (Al Pacino), a veteran cop sent to the far reaches of Alaska with his partner Hap (Martin Donovan) to solve the murder of a young girl. As frustrating as the never-ending sun is for Dormer, it only serves as a metaphor for the turmoil going on inside his mind. Trying to come to terms with Hap’s accidental death in a shootout with the prime suspect, Dormer is forced to deal with feelings of insecurity as to his own thoughts and motives. When approached by the suspect, a little-known writer by the name of Walter Finch (Robin Williams), Dormer is tossed into a confusing web of guilt and anger. Through extreme mental manipulation, Finch is able to cause Dormer to question both himself and his ability to function as a good cop. The effects are aggravated by Dormer’s inability to sleep and slowly his mind begins to unravel.
Also starring Hilary Swank as an eager young cop, Insomnia is an incredible film that takes a close look at the subconscious meanings of actions and the effect they have on their actors. Add to three Academy Award-winning actors the unique talent of a director such as Christopher Nolan (Memento), and you have a mesmerizing film that completely envelopes the attention of its audience. Not only do you watch Dormer unravel – through consistent attention to even the smallest detail, Nolan ensures you are along for the ride.
If you’ve ever seen a Christopher Nolan film, you know exactly what I’m talking about. His are thinking films – you’re never just there to be entertained but to think about what you’re watching. He involves his audience to the last, clearly wanting to make the movie-going experience a memorable one. Insomnia is no exception. Recently in Toronto promoting the film, Nolan described his intentions: “It’s about defining characters’ motivations, how you’d define the different characters as good and bad…those are the kinds of questions I wanted to leave in the minds of the audience. I look for a story that the audience is going to be interested in beyond the two hours that they sit there and watch the film for.”
Describing the genre of Insomnia, Nolan says, “I would describe it as a psychological thriller. I think that the reason I always use that term is because it embraces both the idea of the thriller and the idea of the character study…it makes clear to the people you’re selling it to that while it is going to be a thriller and therefore have a narrative that includes the elements you need to make a thriller, it’s going to be focused on the internal processes of the different characters; the thoughts, the motivations and so forth…that’s going to form the basis for a lot of drama.
Admittedly, the first time I saw a preview for Insomnia my gut reaction was to question the casting. Al Pacino as a good guy and Robin Williams as a crazed killer? Whose idea was that? Curious as to the thinking behind such atypical choices, I asked Nolan about the casting process and if he were at all apprehensive about it. “Actually, I was excited about it,” he stated. “The story becomes entirely about the balance between two characters and the push and pull between them. Al had been cast already, and the idea of Robin was really exciting. No one took issue with it; everybody got it and how it could work.
“But I think maybe they had in mind – and this would’ve caused me some trepidation – a simple kind of inversion of his common persona, creating some kind of manic, psycho guy. But Robin didn’t see it that way…he saw what I saw in the character, which is the fear of a completely normal, completely unnoticeable person. Robin’s never played anyone unexceptional, but that’s what he does here. That was really the whole point of the character…we’re constantly reminded in life that they are unexceptional people who commit murder, but you never see it in films for some reason. Robin came prepared to play the guy completely straight, a guy you wouldn’t pay any attention to if you were sitting next to him on the bus. That way you very gradually come to a rather chilling understanding about what’s going on behind his eyes.”
While his characters may be unexceptional, Christopher Nolan is anything but. His ambition to convey a message to the audience and leave them with something to think about is clear and should be applauded, especially at a time when most directors are solely concerned with churning out big blockbusters that have little essence behind them. Through his unique approach to moviemaking and the exceptional talent of his cast and crew, Nolan is able to create a film that makes you think and simultaneously be entertained…a feat that I believe is actually worthy of $13.50.
