Following (1998)

A young writer who follows strangers for material meets a thief who takes him under his wing.

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writer:

Christopher Nolan

Stars:

Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Theobald	...	The Young Man
Alex Haw	...	Cobb
Lucy Russell	...	The Blonde
John Nolan	...	The Policeman
Dick Bradsell	...	The Bald Guy
Gillian El-Kadi	...	Home Owner
Jennifer Angel	...	Waitress
Nicolas Carlotti	...	Barman
Darren Ormandy	...	Accountant
Guy Greenway	...	Heavy #1
Tassos Stevens	...	Heavy #2
Tristan Martin	...	Man at Bar
Rebecca James	...	Woman at Bar
Paul Mason	...	Home Owner's Friend
David Bovill	...	Home Owner's Husband

Storyline

An older man listens to Bill's story about being a callow writer who likes to follow strangers around London, observing them. One day, a glib and self-confident man whom Bill has been following confronts him. He's Cobb, a burglar who takes Bill under his wing and shows him how to break and enter. They burgle a woman's flat; Bill gets intrigued with her (photographs are everywhere in her flat). He follows her and chats her up at a bar owned by her ex-boyfriend, a nasty piece of work who killed someone in her living room with a hammer. Soon Bill is volunteering to do her a favor, which involves a break-in. What does the older man know that Bill doesn't?

---

Plot Keywords:

writer | burglar | thief | robbery | burglary | 

---

Taglines:

You're Never Alone.

---

Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violence

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 1999 (UK)

Also Known As:

Praćenje

Filming Locations:

UK

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$48,482

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$48,482

Company Credits

Production Co:

Next Wave Films, Syncopy

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The famous "Here's Johnny" picture from The Shining (1980) is shown in Bill's apartment.

---

Goofs

When Bill goes through The Blonde's things at his place, the clock he picks from the bag shows 12:44. Moments later, he picks The Blonde's photos and sets them against the same clock, which is now showing 12:36.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Bill: The following is my explanation. Well, more of an account of what happened. I'd been on my own for a while and getting kind of lonely... and bored... nothing to do all day. And that's when I started shadowing.
The Policeman: Shadowing?
Bill: Shadowing - Following. I started to follow people
The Policeman: Who?
Bill: Anyone at first. Um,
[sniffs]
Bill: you know, that was the whole point - somebody at random, someone who didn't know who I was.
The Policeman: And then?
Bill: And then nothing.

---

Crazy Credits

The movie was filmed from 1996 to 1997 and first released in 1998. However, the copyright date in the credits is listed as being 1999.

---

Alternate Versions

The Criterion Collection DVD features an additional "Chronological Edit" of the film, which places the scenes in linear order.

---

Connections

References Trainspotting (1996)

User Reviews

Nolan's Clever Debut

The debut that plucked from obscurity one of the brighter stars of contemporary noir is an assured, if limited, stab at the con game and obsession. Filmed for zero money, Nolan couldn't have chosen a better subject than the drab and seamy underside of London to ply his trade, given the lack of funds. This short (67 min) is at its best in playing with the audience's and protagonist's expectations about who is scamming whom, though the initial set-up does ring some alarm bells in the credibility dept. 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. Not a masterpiece but good and certainly worth a look for modern noir and Nolan fans.