Following

Released 1998
Stars Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell, John Nolan, Dick Bradsell
Directed by Christopher Nolan

Following unfolds in the vein of Nolan's second feature, Memento. The story interweaves through itself as we follow Bill (Jeremy Theobald), a man obsessed with following people yet never interacting with them. Bill stumbles across Cobb (Alex Haw), a man who also enjoys following people, but takes it one step further: he enjoys breaking into their flats when they are away, shifting through their possessions and sometimes stealing valuable items. As Bill follows the mysterious Cobb around he meets a beautiful blonde woman (Lucy Russell) who may not be what she seems. Featuring flash-forwards and doubling back twists, Following will leave you guessing.

Summary by Patrick Naugle

It's funny to see a "no-budget" film like this receive such grand treatment on the DVD. It has a commentary track, trailers, a multiple angle that allows you to see the script, and an option to view the movie chronologically. Of course, this was made possible by Memento's success... I watched the regular version first and later watched the chronological version. The story doesn't need to be told out of sequence, but that was obviously a technique that intrigued Christopher Nolan. I was excited to see the chronological version, because I wanted to see if it would be better. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as good. The problem is there are about 20 minutes that are deleted, and you just can't trim 20 minutes from this 70 minute, independent gem. I have no idea why they cut a handful of crucial scenes. There are key scenes (Bill being beaten up, the blonde asking for the envelope, Bill and Cobb's second lunch) missing that would leave you scratching your head if you saw this version first. Also, it's not all that chronological.

As for the movie, it works really well. It's interesting and suspenseful and certainly holds your attention. With the exception of one scene (the face-slapping scene), the performances are quite good. After the final revelation, however, the entire plot suddenly seems heavily contrived. I don't want to give anything away, but you suddenly realize the entire elaborate plot could have been replaced with a simple hammer. Obviously, that wasn't the point, though. This was a stepping stone for Christopher Nolan, and it was a very good stepping stone. It's amazing what a handful of friends can do...

What a great idea to present the script as an alternate angle. It's very cool to be able to flip over at any time and see how the script came to life, and it certainly gave me hope that I could one day write a script. Now all I need is an idea... --Bill Alward, February 11, 2002