Following

Another film mentioned in the book on 1999 films is Following, which was Christopher Nolan's first film, which debuted in the U.S. at the Sundance Film Festival. It was shot in black and white on 16mm film on a $6,000 budget, but was outshone by The Blair Witch Project. I'd say Nolan has had the last laugh.

The film prefigures Nolan's second film, Memento, by being told non-linearly, and one has to figure out where in the story they are (Nolan helps immensely by having his main actor change his hairstyle and have bruises and cuts on his face to determine where on the timeline we are). It details a young schmo, Jeremy Theobald, who one day decides he's going to follow people. Not stalk them, exactly, just follow them to see where they go. Of course he ends up following the wrong person.

That person (Alex Haw) calls himself Cobb. He's well-dressed, good-looking, and articulate. He is also a burglar, who doesn't steal so much for the money as the adrenaline rush, the fascination he has with the interior lives of the people he burgles. Theobald, intrigued, teams up with him.

Theobald then gets involved with a beautiful blonde (this is a noir film) and things start to go wrong. There's a big reveal, and then another one, as Theobald finds himself in dire straits.

Following is a brisk 70 minutes and almost plays like a TV drama. It has the makings of a great film, but just misses, as perhaps Nolan was just too green around the gills. Certainly he was not by Memento, which is a great film.