A nameless man becomes a stranger to himself, a crowd of one, and desperately searches for identity in objects and transgressions. Christopher Nolan’s debut film is short in time, just over 60 minutes, but long on ideas and substance: a loner who falls victim to a violent ménage a trio.
A struggling young writer begins to follow strangers around London, observing and deducing their lives from routine and habit, a strange fiction that soon becomes a malignant fascination. When confronted by one of his subjects, he fails to consider that he may be a victim himself, reduced to an object, a behavioral pattern in a complex web of deceit.
Nolan subverts typical narrative patterns, which he would perfect in his next film MEMENTO, to create an enigma from a rather standard coda. He utilizes flashbacks and flash-forwards to extreme effect, forcing the observant viewer to piece together the story based on details such as scars/busies, hairstyles, and mundane possessions. His sudden cuts between scenes heightens suspense, a vertiginous technique that keeps the viewer focused yet slightly unbalanced.
FOLLOWING is a wonderful debut from a talented filmmaker, a creator whose cinematic ideas are balanced with fringe personas, composing an intelligent drama from film noir tropes.
Final Grade: (B+)
