Following

Plot synopsis:
A struggling, unemployed young writer (credited as "The Young Man") takes to following strangers around the streets of London, ostensibly to find inspiration for his first novel. Initially, he sets strict rules for himself regarding whom he should follow and for how long, but he soon discards them as he focuses on a well-groomed, handsome man in a dark suit. The man in the suit, having noticed he is being followed, quickly confronts the Young Man and introduces himself as "Cobb". Cobb reveals that he is a serial burglar and invites the Young Man (who tells Cobb his name is "Bill") to accompany him on various burglaries. The material gains from these crimes seem to be of secondary importance to Cobb. He takes pleasure in rifling through the personal items in his targets' flats and drinking their wine. He explains that his true passion is using the shock of robbery and violation of property to make his victims re-examine their lives. He sums up his attitude thus: "You take it away, and show them what they had."
The Young Man is thrilled by Cobb's lifestyle. He attempts break-ins of his own, as Cobb encourages and guides him. At Cobb's suggestion, he alters his appearance, cutting his hair short and wearing a dark suit. He assumes the name "Daniel Lloyd" based on the credit card Cobb gives to him and begins to pursue a relationship with a blonde woman whose flat he and Cobb burgled. The Blonde turns out to be the girlfriend of a small-time gangster (known only as the "Bald Guy") whom she broke up with after he murdered a man in her flat. Soon, the Blonde confides that the Bald Guy is blackmailing her with incriminating photographs. The Young Man breaks into the Bald Guy's safe, but is caught in the act by an unidentified man. He then bludgeons the man with a claw hammer and flees with the Bald Guy's money and photos. Upon returning to his flat, he finds that the photos are innocuous modeling shots.
Confronting the Blonde, the Young Man learns that she and Cobb have been working together to manipulate him into mimicking Cobb's burglary methods. She tells him that Cobb had recently discovered a murdered woman's body during one of his burglaries and is attempting to deflect suspicion from himself by making it appear as though multiple burglars share his MO.
The Young Man leaves to turn himself in to the police. The Blonde reports her success to Cobb, who then reveals that he actually works for the Bald Guy. The story about the murdered woman was part of a plot to deceive both the Blonde and the Young Man: The Blonde has been blackmailing the Bald Guy with evidence from the murder he committed in her flat, and he wants her murdered in such a way that it cannot be connected to him. Cobb bludgeons the Blonde to death with the same claw hammer that the Young Man used during the burglary of the Bald Guy's safe and leaves it at the scene. The police, checking out the Young Man's story, find the Blonde murdered and the claw hammer with his fingerprints on it. The Young Man is thus implicated for the murder of the blonde woman. Cobb, meanwhile, vanishes into a crowd.

Tags: psychological, neo noir, murder, flashback, plot twist, storytelling

Review:
The muddy cinematography (he often used natural lighting due to budget) can be mostly chalked up to noir stylization, though the limitations do show at times.One can easily see Nolan's style developing in this fledgling effort; many of the same themes of blurred identity and expectation smashing recur in MEMENTO and INSOMNIA.
The film is shot in black and white, and features people who you assume are friends of Nolan's appearing in the movie.
You could see Jeremy Theobald and Alex Haw appearing in other projects but unfortunately they haven't since this was made 6 years ago.Nolan's thriller, much like Memento, does not play chronologically, it shifts the scenes around much like Pulp Fiction.
It is superior to most that Hollywood studios offer and Nolan after three films (this, the superior Memento and the not quite as good but still excellent Insomnia) has cemented himself as the most exciting new talent of recent times.
He uses time differentials in a similar manner to tell his story, and it's a very clever one.Bill is this young writer who begins following complete strangers around just to see where they live and what they're all about.
No, I won't spoil it but this is a very cool movie and I'm beginning to think Christopher Nolan is a genius.If you like suspense films with surprise endings, this one is a must see..
Watch Following, the no-budget thriller which was Nolan's actual directorial debut, and you begin to understand.
That the performers have a great story to work with certainly helped their cause.Things do get a little convoluted in the end as Nolan's story takes its final turns.
Just watched this on DVD three times - Once the 'normal' way, once with the scenes in consecutive order (in this doozy of a film noir, the beginning, middle and end of the story intertwine), and once with the director's commentary running.
They were characters, not big-name actors who brought in personas developed in other movies.Given certain similarities in the plots, I wonder if Memento is sort of a remake of Following, but intended to reach a bigger audience, like Edward Burns made She's the One in the mold of -- and with largely the same cast as -- The Brothers McMullan..
In this intriguing noir thriller (looking like the Forties, but with a  psychology befitting the Nineties), Director Christopher Nolan employs  a number of techniques he would perfect in his internationally  acclaimed Memento (2000), most notably scenes presented out of time  sequence for effect, and a naive protagonist taken advantage of by  others.
The film opens with "Bill, the Innocent" (as I might dub him), played  by Jeremy Theobald, trying to explain to someone, perhaps a social  worker, perhaps even a police inspector (John Nolan), why he took up  following people just for the fun of it.
"Following" is a story within a story within a story with one of the most surprising as well as simply manipulated ending, if you watch the movie again and notice the clues, that you'll ever see.Made with an unbelievably small budget of $6,000.00, thats less then what most Hollywood movies budgets out for coffee-breaks, with a no-name cast in black and white and just over one hour, 71 minutes, long.
A black-and-white noir, Christopher Nolan's "Following" is a no-budget picture that feels seamless and utilizes elements of deception and shifting time frames.
Mr. Cobb (Alex Haw), a smooth-talking cat-burglar who also likes to peek inside people's lives, through his m.o. leans to breaking and entering."Following" has an interesting narrative strategy.
There are enough twists here which spins the film into a dizzying crescendo, where loose ends begin to come together, and the brilliance of the stellar story start to shine through.Nolan is involved in every stage of production, from writing to shooting, producing and directing.
On a stripped down viewing, Following rarely veers from classical conventions - it begins with an introductory voice-over, a man enters a life of crime, the thriller-style music peaks where it ought to, there is a love interest/femme fatale (Lucy Russell), the same man receives his punishment, and the film is even shot in a contrasting black and white (no doubt a financial conclusion).
Its a shame that Jeremy Theobald and the charming Alex Haw didn't go far after this movie and its a shame that Lucy Russell didn't go as far as she should be.Only geniuses like Christopher Nolan himself can make great extremely low budget movies like Following..
An excellent debut movie for the the director of Batman Begins, comes the Following, a movie about a man who follows other people for inspiration of characters in stories he writes.
One man he follows, he decides to go further and the man turns out to be more than he bargained for.Using a cast of non-actors and his uncle, writing directing producing and otherwise completely making this movie entirely on his own with almost no budget and produced independently, this movie is much more than you'd expect.For anyone who likes Memento and complex twists, turns, shocks, and messing around with time, this is definitely a movie for you..
For all purposes, Following remains Nolan's feature film debut and it surely is a remarkable achievement.The story follows Bill, a struggling unemployed writer who takes a liking to following people in hopes of finding material to write about.
The behind the scenes material with the film reveals this and other fascinating details about the film's production such as the crew shooting over weekends due to their jobs on weekdays as a result of which the film took a year to complete.Despite the low budget, you're always hooked on to Following and that is due largely in part to the film's plot and tight writing (another of Nolan's strengths).
Unlike many filmmakers who use lavish editing styles and gimmicky display effects, Nolan's films rely primarily on story and screenplay to get the viewers attention (with the occasional non-linear editing thrown in to really keep the audience alert at all times).
"Following" by Christopher Nolan is a stark black and white film that seeks to create a claustrophobic 40's type film noir atmosphereit certainly succeeds if the viewer has patience.
I just saw "Following." It was the first movie that Christopher Nolan (director of Memento) did.
The only problem is that the main character, credited as "Bill," falls deeply and dangerously into one's secret profession.Overall, 'Following' uses film-noir, minute suspense, and a twist-at-the-end plot to give you an idea of what might happen if you pass the red line that defines your profession..
Because style should not trump substance,especially when the content is so overwhelmingly dry.This movie is basically an unemotional display of lead character's need to fill in the void of his meaningless life {struggling writer,of sorts}by spending time on streets following other's for the fun of it.But we never get that opportunity,instead he quickly gets caught up in one person's world and is taken in to small time burgulary,by way of first person who caught him peeping.I was hoping for a voyeuristic journey like "Peeping Tom" the 1960's gem that portrayed an indepth character study on that social disorder with emotion and great photography.But instead was put on hold for very unemotional and ordinary display of character analysis.Basically the scenes were just rehashed attempts,one after another ,mimacking and cloned together lacking any real difference or insights as to importance of lead character.I knew little more about his personality and inner self ,halfway thru tham i did in beginning.And not too much more towards the end.A screen writer could put this together and add or delete scenes with ease as to the undefined quality of the characters and their dispirited nature.This movie is tailor-made for GenX'ers,who grew up on similac,instead of real thing and aren't discerning enough to comprehend style vs.
substance.These same bottle-fed babies are also beholden to "Memmento" for same reason,Oh,Boy that's cool,to have surprise ending and shoot in retrospect.I guess when a movie lacks any real surprises during beginning and middle,it needs an uplift for ending.Virtually nothing about this movie stands out and grabs one.It lacks any qualified sounds,the camera work is one-dimentional and good overall use of shadows but not enough too make up for shallow cinematography.Low budget all around.The street scenes could have been more dynamic {it looked as if shot in same neighborhood block throughout}.I am increasingly becoming dismayed at latest Avante Garde  movement within film community to herald films such as Memento and this one as great leaps forward in filmdom.That is a great lie and urban myth.Any film aficionado worth his salt knows by now what stands the test of time and what will not,crystal ball or no.I personally don't need this film or Memento to explain the merits of good drama,thriller or Noir to satisfy by dilettante interpretation of such.Gen X'ers have managed to screw up music and are now about to do such with film.But not in my world.I calls em as I see's em.Good is good,great as such and lackluster is much downgraded good for certain film morons bent on surprises in the theatre box.With that cracker jack mentality,hopefully things can only get better and go upward.But I wouldn't bank on anytime soon.This lackluster film that is neither too dramatic,urban sprawled or noirish enough to call anything other than ordinary attempt to capitalize on an uninitiated audience's attention span for crafty and well choreographed thrillers that develop character and scene with plausible deniability.Any other explanation for success of flat,one note harmony is beyond my understanding.
I`m in two minds about FOLLOWING , the film debut of Christopher Nolan .
In many ways it reminds me of the cult movie PI , a film I disliked , and I can`t get my head around the central plot of a man who wants to be writer following people around .
Even in a jaded enterprise like the Batman series did Christopher Nolan sprinkle some of his outstanding yarn-weaving tricks, breathing new life into the dark knight.Following is an intense tale of intrigue and mystery, where we see a dilettante writer, who becomes a reluctant voyeur, who becomes an unknowing accomplice to a variety of petty crimes, and finally sees an end no one could have expected.
`Following' is maybe not as mind  blowingly original as Memento, but it is very fresh, and very interesting, and very much Nolan's film.
In a time when it is becoming increasingly common for films to go well beyond the two-hour mark regardless of whether they really need to or not, it is refreshing to see a filmmaker show that a good story can be told in under 90 minutes.Christopher Nolan made an interesting little noir-thriller called Following.
Nolan's debut feature, Following is a no-budget film shot hand-held in grainy, black-and-white.
This feature film directed by Christopher Nolan, the man behind some of the biggest movies in the current generation and nominated for multiple Oscars, was made with a 6,000$ budget!
If you pay close attention to the movie you can see that but when you do you are already into an intriguing story, a mysterious thriller about a young man who follows strangers and meets a burglar that doesn't steal for the money..
Following is Nolan's first film, and undoubtedly is one of the director's most unknown masterpiece that did great works such as The Prestige, Memento, Inception, Intertellar and the highly acclaimed Batman trilogy, Following is the weakest of the Nolan has a low budget, but the film is not bad, we see some features of Nolan face, the plot tries to be confused at times, the cast is very competent, the photography is good, the script Is good, the pace is competent, even more that the film is very short, the direction of Nolan is good, even more with limitations, Following is an competent film, is the beginning of a director of an enviable curriculum.
Unbeknownst to him, Cobb and The Blonde actually know each other.This is Christopher Nolan's low budget black-and-white indie.
So as you can imagine, this was a small movie, but I feel it is genuinely impressive what they made with so little of a budget.Like most Nolan films, Following has a very interesting and tight story.
The story isn't as complicated as Memento or Inception but it still has some complexity to it.Another thing is that the acting is surprisingly great, for a cast that was just Nolan's friends at the time.
The Following is a 1998 film directed by Christopher Nolan starring Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, and Lucy Russell.
Filmed all in black and white, maintaining a constant psychological thrill throughout the movie although it is slow paced, and above average performances from unknown actors, I thought that Nolan was trying to distinct his debut and establish himself already as one of the very the unique directors of his time.The movie starts off brilliantly with a very intriguing premise which I have to admit does not continue much long.
The important thing that made this movie so good is the NON LINEAR STORY TELLING of Nolan.
Its achronological pacing tells the story with an almost perfect 69 minutes on the screen with black-and-white starkness that fits both budgeting and plot.At first, I wanted to see this film's would-be author follow multiple stories and people, but the young man's act of tailing strangers introduces Nolan's true purpose that viewers can follow to and piece together at the end.I highly recommend this picture, especially as a sign of his directing to come.
Christopher Nolan's feature film debut is impressive(if small-time), though much bigger things await him in the future....
One difference between Nolan's two films is that Memento was a little easier for me to follow, given that the b&w scenes progress in a constant chronological direction, and so do those in color.
One difference between Nolan's two films is that Memento was a little easier for me to follow, given that the b&w scenes progress in a constant chronological direction, and so do those in color.
It is Christopher Nolan's first feature film (budget around £3,000 and shot it on weekends), depicting an unemployed young writer who trails strangers through London in order to get inspiration for his first novel, but ends up being drawn into criminal activities and suspicious acquaintances...
A young writer who follows strangers for material meets a thief who takes him under his wing.After seeing Nolan's work with Memento, I became highly interesting in this highly interesting movie.
I do find this movie interesting, while shot in a low budget, it seemed like Nolan could've done better.
Inception, The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Batman Begins, Insomnia, Memento, these are the list of Christopher Nolan directing movies, and "following" is the debut and logical as a debut, but absolutely not even close to the other of his great career!
So this is his debut movie from Nolan who's known as one of the most genius directors ever.Following isn't really to explain the background of the characters.
There's not much I can write about this movie because it's just like any other Nolan movie where I have the same opinion about it.Following is a great move to make his debut as one of the best directors ever.
Following is a worth to watch if you want to start watching all of Christopher Nolan's movies..
If you can forgive the lack of Hollywood glitz and grainy, student-like footage, it's a very compelling story which exhibits many traits which Christopher Nolan has used again (and expanded on) in his upcoming features.It's about a man who, needing inspiration for characters he's writing about, starts following random strangers around London in order to get some idea what 'normal' people do.
These are the types of questions one might ask about the work of Christopher Nolan.He now uses this time-shifting Editing technique quite often and is the centerpiece of his Cult Film Memento (2000).
Christopher Nolan is one of the most popular and celebrated director, making films like Memento, Inception and of course The Dark Knight Trilogy.
But every director has to start someone and Nolan was with the very low budget, but very well made Following.In London, a young man, Lee (Jeremy Theobald) is a struggling writer who follows random people just to see where they go, doing it for research for his book.
Given Christopher Nolan's string of successful films, it's a no brainer for me to want to check out his filmography watch his debut feature, which is shot in black and white back in England, running less than 70 minutes long, done with little budget, but containing all the hallmarks that has made him a master filmmaker and storyteller.Though short, the film is no less gripping with its meandering plot that will leave you guessing, because the premise doesn't even scratch the surface of this tale, which is pretty amazing considering the depth in the narrative's structure and characterization.
Great British director Christopher Nolan (Momento, Insomnia), directs this odd film about a struggling writer obsessed with following people.
Christopher Nolan's first film is a 'no budget' black and white film about a unemployed writer who begins following strangers, which in turn leads to robbery and also violence.
It is very good.Like in his later film 'Memento' he doesn't present the story in a linear way.
The film is an excellent first effort from the talented Christoper Nolan, who would go on to make Memento, one of the most original movies of our time..
I'm going to venture a guess that (sadly) it's because it's in black and white or because (again sadly)that the characters all have British accents ...sadly because that is no reason to not appreciate a great movie like this.I'm telling you that if you loved Memento, you will love Following as well.
This film is superb, it has the same low-budget first film feel of 'Pi' and 'Clerks', but has the style of 'Memento' (also by Writer/Director Christopher Nolan).