It would be amiss of me to not mention the most obvious thing here. FOLLOWING, Christopher Nolan’s break through film, has a 101 Films release courtesy of a Criterion collection print. I say this because some of you have asked and so I have answered. Nolan’s debut feature is available in the UK for the first time and it is nice to return to this 1998, having not seen it in almost 20 years. Taking 12 months to complete, shot on weekends and filmed in the streets off of Oxford Street, 7 dials and around Soho, its a film that defuses Neo Noir with temporal obsession. Basically Christopher Nolan’s play book.
Bill (Jeremy Theobald) is a young writer with a sense of adventure. He follows strangers around London for research. He wants to maybe write a novel or maybe just enjoys stalking. After following Cobb (Alex Haw), a dapper stranger with an odd choice of bag, Bill is confronted. Cobb is not what he seems. He enjoys a nice bit of burglary, with a touch of absurd prying into the personal lives of his victims. They team up and start to slowly become drawn into a power struggle over a mysterious girl and her criminal underworld lover.
Confidence is key to making a low budget film. Nolan knew this and so, filmed in 16mm black and white stock, made the actors rehearse and lit the whole film naturally. 
That is confidence right there. But on reflection, the strong points then are weak points now. FOLLOWING is flabby. Its also stilted and pays off in a rather expected way. The temporal structure cheats you but also allows enough foreshadowing to know where we are headed. Its a film that film students should watch. They can then know film and understand skilled creatives but the only strength here is 101 Films dedication to the mammoth extras. Jeremy Theobald and Film Critic James Mottram commentary unpicks Nolan style of film making. Also it details how to make a low budget film leanly.
Dreamcatching sees Nolan’s wife and producer, be frank about making a film like this, compared to Hollywood styled money. Its nice to see openness after the usual standard closed book. Following in their Footsteps shows London evolution more than how the actors interact or feel. I loved it to be honest. The real steal for your money though are the Nolan shorts. Both stand tall as films made by someone with something to say and maybe equally, something to make you sit up and watch. Confidence right there I believe is the term I would use.
Special Features:
Brand new extras:
Additional extras:
• Doodlebug – Short Film by Christopher Nolan
