"The term 'genre' eventually becomes pejorative because you're referring to something that's so codified and ritualised that it ceases to have the power and meaning it had when it first started"
- Christopher Nolan
About this Quote
In this quote, Christopher Nolan is discussing the term "category" and how it can end up being unfavorable over time. He discusses that when something is labeled as a category, it becomes too structured and foreseeable, losing its original impact and significance. As it ends up being more and more specified and ritualized, it loses its ability to evoke emotion and significance in the audience. Essentially, Nolan is recommending that the more we attempt to categorize and specify something, the less effective and meaningful it ends up being. He is warning against limiting creativity and expression by boxing it into a specific category.