Following (1998) (n/b, Criterion Collection)

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Armed with a 16mm camera, a tiny budget and using his now trademark non-linear structure Nolan presents a gripping Neo-Noir set on the backstreets of London. Shot over the course of 12 months, with Nolan covering the majority of production duties himself, Following a thrilling introduction to one of modern cinema's great visionaries.

Curiosity develops into voyeuristic fixation as a young writer, Bill (Jeremy Theobald) follows strangers around London to research a novel. After following Cobb (Alex Haw), a well-heeled stranger, who is actually a thief, Bill’s obsession takes a sinister turn. Drawn into Cobb’s world of burglary, prying into the personal lives of victims, he becomes obsessed with an attractive young woman, played by Lucy Russell, an aspiring actress making her movie debut. In Cobb, Bill has found a strange companion, part mentor, part confessor and part evil twin.

Before he became a sensation with the twisty revenge story Memento, Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight) fashioned this low-budget, black-and-white, 16 mm neonoir with comparable precision and cunning. Supplying irrefutable evidence of Nolan`s directorial bravura, Following is the fragmented tale of an unemployed young writer who trails strangers through London, hoping that they will provide inspiration for his first novel. He gets more than he bargained for with one of his unwitting subjects, who leads him down a dark, criminal path. With gritty aesthetics and a made-on-the-fly vibe (many shots were simply stolen on the streets, unbeknownst to passersby), Following is a mind-bending psychological journey that shows the remarkable beginnings of one of today`s most acclaimed filmmakers.