A Kafkaesque (aren’t student films always?) psychological thriller, it is rough round the edges at every level: acting, editing, camerawork, lighting, sound editing, scoring.
It does bear Nolan hallmarks, be it his fondness for black and white or interest in the metaphysical (Inception, Interstellar), but it’s a fairly unremarkable student film – and that’s great.
It’s always fascinating watching major directors’ earliest work, and Doodlebug is no different, a no budget, 3-minute film Christopher Nolan wrote, directed, shot and edited in 1997 while he was studying English Literature at UCL in London.
It’s intriguing not because it’s some peer-destroying early masterpiece but quite the opposite.