Following

Shot on black-and-white 16mm film, this homage to noir B-movies (I was particularly reminded of Killer’s Kiss and Pickup on South Street) contains, in embryonic form, most of the elements that we associate with Nolan’s work today. A non-chronological narrative that, in its (seeming) disorder, numerous ellipses and progression from effect to cause, is reminiscent of an unstructured recollection of an event (when we can also start the story from the most important point rather than from the beginning). The postmodern instability of human identity. It is possible to read the story as a variation on European modernist literary and cinematic experiments (e.g. Alain Robbe-Grillet), i.e. as a narrative about the narrative process (Cobb imagines the “backstory” of the people whose apartments he enters based on their personal belongings and, by making minor interventions in the domestic order, he lays the groundwork for future conflict, thus becoming the author of the plot). Following is basically a no-budget prototype of Inception (the film’s budget was roughly £3,000) – a psychological heist movie in which it is necessary to “break into” the victim’s subconscious and uncover their hidden desires in order to successfully commit a crime. When broken down into its individual parts, it would probably be a relatively easily understood story, but due to the fact that it is divided between four plot segments (plus an overarching fifth segment with the interrogation), each of which takes place in a different “time zone”, it presents a relatively difficult test of one’s attention (it is rather helpful that everything converges on one character, whose changing appearance indicates where we are on the time scale) that you will most likely want to take more than once...but even then, you probably won’t be able to say for sure what really happened (the entire film is framed by the retrospective narration of a man who has no reason to tell the truth). 80% (07/25/2017)

At first, it appears like Nolan is going to explore the depths of the soul of one miserable voyeur. After a while, however, he deftly twists the plot into a dark thriller, where the viewer cannot be sure even of the focus of the characters, let alone the next few minutes. The artful editing (the story takes place over three time planes) and the director's work as a precise turner create a film for which I can’t help but nod my head in approval. The ending can also shake hands with Singer's The Usual Suspects, no question about it. (08/31/2008)

If there's one thing Christopher Nolan really knows how to do, it's to grab attention with a uniquely constructed story, which is exactly the case with his wondrous Following. Nothing expensive, nothing overly ambitious, and certainly nothing bursting with ideas, but you can get a lot out of even a little, and you can get even more out of it with your own skill and care. Of course, in terms of overall quality, this is only a minor creative warm-up for the far richer Memento, but Nolan proved himself in his debut to be such a skilled cinematographer, such a great screenwriter with a unique sense of timing, and, most importantly, such an excellent director that Following deserves no condemnation at all alongside all the Batmans and Inceptions. But you’ll have to see for yourselves. :-) 75% (07/29/2014)

Perhaps not as subtly thought out (even though... :))) as Nolan's top pieces, but already here – in his (and it must be said very successful) debut Christopher Nolan shows his undeniable writing and directing abilities, which he manages to bring to near perfection over the course of his subsequent work. The first 30-40 minutes or so I may have been a little bored at times, but once the reveal (actually, two reveals :))) came, I was completely engrossed. (09/25/2010)

Excellent. Nolan works skillfully with storytelling, he knows when to tell and when not to tell, if you know what I mean. The whole time you’re following him, breathing down his neck, but he knows full well that you’re there and so he changes direction to confuse you and then disappears all of a sudden, only to reappear behind you and push you under a train. And the only thing that crosses your mind as you fall under the wheels of the express is... surprise. (05/14/2010)