Abstract
Time has long been recognised as a central dimension of cinematic storytelling, yet few filmmakers have made temporality as fundamental to their artistic vision as Christopher Nolan and Richard Linklater. This dissertation undertakes a comparative analysis of narrative time in their films, examining how temporal structures shape character development, identity formation, and spectatorial experience. Nolan’s fragmented chronologies, exemplified in Memento (2000) and Inception (2010), foreground disorientation, memory instability, and the precariousness of psychological authenticity. Linklater’s durational realism, exemplified in the Before Trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013), foregrounds continuity, lived experience, and the transformative power of sustained temporal engagement. The research integrates narratological analysis, phenomenological investigation, and cultural contextualisation to explore three key areas: first, how narrative techniques utilise time manipulation to construct character; second, how temporal structures influence characters’ journeys and experiences, particularly in relation to memory, trauma, and perception; and third, how temporal agency shapes ethical responsibility and cultural meaning. By situating Nolan’s puzzle cinema alongside Linklater’s durational realism, the study demonstrates that contrasting temporal strategies produce complementary insights into identity, memory, and human connection. The theoretical framework draws on Paul Ricoeur’s philosophy of narrative time and identity, Gilles Deleuze’s concept of the time-image, Augustine’s reflections on memory and temporality, Husserl’s account of retention and protention, Heidegger’s notion of being-in-time, and Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of perception. These philosophical perspectives are synthesised with Vivian Sobchack’s phenomenology of film experience, Laura Marks’s theory of haptic visuality, and Robert Stone’s analysis of Linklater’s cinema to show how time functions not only as a formal device but also as a philosophical position. Nolan’s films reveal the psychological consequences of temporal fragmentation, while Linklater’s films highlight the ethical and relational dimensions of sustained temporal presence. The findings contribute to film scholarship by addressing a gap in comparative studies of cinematic temporality. While existing research has examined Nolan and Linklater separately, this study demonstrates the value of placing their approaches in dialogue. Nolan’s manipulation of chronology exposes the fragility of memory and the instability of identity. Linklater’s durational realism illustrates how continuity and lived time foster intimacy, responsibility, and ethical negotiation. Together, their films reveal how narrative time operates as a medium through which cinema interrogates consciousness, identity, and cultural existence. This dissertation concludes that temporality in cinema is not merely a structural technique but a means of exploring fundamental aspects of human life. By analysing how time shapes character development, spectatorial engagement, and cultural meaning, the study advances understanding of narrative temporality as both an artistic strategy and a philosophical inquiry.