Quay

"We don’t try to emulate what’s outside our window, that’s the last thing we want to emulate."

2015 0h 8m EN

😐

6.0

MID

🍅

83%

FRESH

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 72🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes★6.4IMDB · 1,729

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 2015, Christopher Nolan curated a selection of short films by the surrealist animators the Quay Brothers to be distributed as a touring 35mm presentation. The three films—"In Absentia" (2000), "The Comb" (1991) and "Street of Crocodiles" (1986)—were accompanied by this brief portrait of the brothers at work in their London studio.

“We don’t try to emulate what’s outside our window, that’s the last thing we want to emulate.”

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Cast

Stephen Quay
Self
Timothy Quay
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Christopher Nolan
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 8-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Christopher Nolan, shot by Christopher Nolan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christopher Nolan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christopher Nolan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "We don’t try to emulate what’s outside our window, that’s the last thing we want to emulate.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Christopher Nolan directs. Christopher Nolan behind the camera. Christopher Nolan scores. Christopher Nolan cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 8-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 11 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Christopher Nolan, shot by Christopher Nolan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Christopher Nolan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Christopher Nolan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "We don’t try to emulate what’s outside our window, that’s the last thing we want to emulate.".
9IMDB entry: tt4907572 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 72 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.