Following is director Christopher Nolan's feature film debut (though it barely qualifies as one with its 70 minute length) and his talent is evident even in the beginning. Shot on a shoestring budget in black and white, it tells the story of a lonely young man with a strange hobby. He follows, or shadows people as he calls it with no insidious intentions, just for the thrill of it. One day he is caught by one of his targets, a man of similar mind but with darker intentions, and he is soon involved in a burglary scheme. The chronology of the plot is disjointed, a similar technique Nolan would later apply in Memento, and the viewer if forced to think back on the plot. Though Following is more of a cinematic exercise than it is a fully fleshed out feature length film, it is a fun and short escape and a record of a young directorial master at work.
***1/2
