Following (1998)

Following is Christopher Nolan’s (Memento, Inception) first movie he wrote and directed. It has been made on a very small budget and took months to film as all the actors had day jobs and were only available during the weekends. After Nolan’s house was burgled he wondered what a burglar is thinking while he is walking through a house and sees things like pictures or items. Following is the execution of this idea.
Bill is a writer who randomly follows people on the streets. He slowly starts to get addicted to it and becomes obsessed by it. It slowly turns him into a stalker and one of the guys he is following notices this and start talking to him. Turns out that guy is a burglar and Bill is so fascinated by this that he asks if it is possible to join him to see how he does his job. It doesn’t stop with just watching and Bill keeps passing his own moral boundaries.

Just like Memento the movie has been cut up and isn’t told in a chronological way. It’s only when the movie ends that you’ll figure out how everything fits together.

With this movie Nolan shows that he already had learned the art of editing and telling a good story. It’s very clear that he had a limited budget as in some scenes you really miss the use of a steadicam.
The limited budget forced Nolan to have a good story and great acting, in which he succeeded. The film has an intimate feeling with a lot of conversations and somethings it almost feels like a documentary as the acting is top-notch. If you can manage to see through the way it was shot (in black and white and very “raw”), then Following offers a well-written story and really is a showcase of the skills that Nolan already had. It is the seed which has led to a succesful career and it shows why he has become one of the most succesful writers/directors of the moment.

Score: 8