Insomnia opening sequence

The opening titles in Insomnia help to set the claustrophobic atmosphere of the film. This is achieved by a combination of the opressive score; the contrast between the small plane and the wide open vistas; and by how Nolan gradually teases the material through which we see the blood soaking. At first when the viewer sees the blood, they are struck by the strangeness of the shot, but as it is repeated multiple times, the viewer tries to work out where the fabric is from until near the end of the scene when it is revealed that the fabric is from the sleeve of a shirt.