There are few directors working today who are quite as ambitious as Christopher Nolan. Time and again, he’s produced films that push the boundaries of what is possible in the medium of film. When one goes to the theater to see a Nolan film, one is guaranteed to be immersed in a world of challenging and exquisite beauty.
While most of his films focus on the exploits of men, he’s also produced some pretty spectacular female characters as well, ones who exhibit quite a lot of strength, agency, and a determination to live their lives on their own terms.
The Blonde - Following
Following is one of Nolan’s most fascinating films, especially considering that it was the first of his that really saw a lot of critical buzz. It’s obviously an homage to the film noirs of the past, and one can see that in characters like The Blonde.
While she’s not given an actual name, she is still a fascinating character. Unfortunately, she does meet a rather brutal demise, meaning that she’s not the most powerful of his creations.
Natalie - Memento
Memento has gone down in film history as being one of Nolan’s most fascinating cinematic adventures. It’s, in some ways, a challenging film, precisely because it asks the viewer to critically think about the nature of narrative, time, and memory.
Obviously, the film doesn’t really focus very much on many female characters, but even so, it has to be said that Natalie deserves a lot of credit for being willing and able to deal with the dysfunctional and unstable men that cross her path.
Olivia Wenscombe - The Prestige
As with so many of Nolan’s other films, The Prestige doesn’t really have a lot for its female characters to do, and that includes Olivia Wenscombe. That being said, it’s important to note that she is played by none other than the great Scarlett Johansson, who does her absolute best to make this a role worth remembering.
Given that Johansson is just such a compelling and charismatic actress, one can’t help but feel drawn to this admittedly rather enigmatic female character - even if it isn't one of his more popular films.
Mal Cobb - Inception
There’s something powerful about a female character that happens to also be the main bad guy in a film. That’s certainly true of Mal Cobb, who occupies that important position in Nolan’s mind-bendingly fascinating film, Inception.
What makes her a truly splendid type of character, however, is the fact that she proves adept with so many different types of weapons. She’s definitely not a character that anyone should take lightly, and if they do, they should prepare to suffer for it.
Ariadne - Inception
Unlike Mal, who’s the villain of Inception, Ariadne is undoubtedly a sympathetic sort of hero.
What really makes her stand out as a character, however, is the fact that she has a sense of curiosity that is second to none. This also leads to her being very creative and, significantly, she’s also a very perceptive sort of woman, with a keen understanding of people. In some ways, she understands them better than they understand themselves.
Rachel Dawes - Batman
Rachel Dawes is definitely one of the standout characters in the Christopher Nolan Batman films. Like Bruce Wayne, she’s passionate about what she does, and she deserves a lot of credit for choosing to go after the various crime lords that make Gotham home.
Considering how terrifying and powerful many of those are, that’s no small accomplishment. However, it’s also rather unfortunate that she ends up getting killed in the second film since such a powerful character really did deserve a fate.
Ellie Burr - Insomnia
In Hilary Swank's time in Hollywood, she’s managed to create a truly astounding range of characters, and she has deserved every bit of praise she’s been given.
She plays the character of Ellie Burr in Insomnia, one of the more straightforward of Nolan’s films. While Al Pacino and Robin Williams usually get the lion’s share of praise for this film, Swank also deserves praise for portraying a detective who has a strong moral compass, one that will hopefully keep her from falling into darkness.
Murphy Cooper - Interstellar
In many ways, Interstellar is Nolan’s most visually ambitious film to date, immersing the viewer in the beautiful and dangerous world of outer space. Murphy is, of course, the daughter of the main character who ends up becoming a scientist working for NASA in an effort to keep humanity from being wiped out.
Given the relative paucity of female scientist characters in movies (and, for that matter, in real life), the character of Murphy is particularly important.
Amelia Brand - Interstellar
Amelia Brand, the other female character of note in Interstellar, is even more formidable than Murphy. Amelia is the kind of scientist that needs to appear more often in the cinema, and in many important ways, she’s just as much of the film’s hero as Joseph Cooper.
It certainly helps that she’s played by Anne Hathaway. Any time that Hathaway appears in a film, you know that the character is going to be a very powerful woman, and this one is no exception.
Selina Kyle - Batman
Selina Kyle is definitely the strongest female character to appear in a Christopher Nolan film. After all, she’s the figure that becomes Catwoman. Once again, we have Anne Hathaway, who brings a certain measure of irreverence to the role.
Though obviously Bruce Wayne is intended to be the major focus of the film, there are quite a few points where Selina threatens to steal the whole show.