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Following

Play trailer Poster for Following R 1998 1h 9m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 89 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Lacking prospects, a writer (Jeremy Theobald) begins tailing strangers, until he encounters a voyeuristic thief (Alex Haw).
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Following

Following

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Critics Consensus

Super brief but efficient, Following represents director Christopher Nolan's burgeoning talent in tight filmmaking and hard-edge noir.

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Critics Reviews

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Don Irvine Globe and Mail 8h
3/4
Nolan's punchy little film was shot in black and white on weekends and unpaid everybody else, and it sucks you in with its conceit with an ease that would leave an L.A. producer breathless. Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian 8h
Unfortunately, Following is almost ruined by a disjointed narrative structure: a pointless and pretentious shuffling up of scenes which adds nothing at all to the film and is just confusing. Go to Full Review
Andrew O'Hagan Daily Telegraph (UK) 9h
Young British film-maker Christopher Nolan demonstrates an impressive technical flair and a good sense of a story in this, his debut feature. Go to Full Review
Shawn Levy Oregonian 9h
A-
"Following" is a crackling good little film that succeeds at deploying surprises, engaging in very dry dark humor, and keeping the viewer guessing as to what will happen next -- and, more mysteriously, why. Go to Full Review
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Haseeb A @iamhaseebaslam Jun 23 Rewatching Following again for what feels like the dozenth time in this Nolan marathon before Odyssey drops, and that twist still gets me. Every single time. You would think knowing exactly where it is headed would dull the impact, but Nolan structures the reveal so cleanly that it lands anyway. The black and white photography paired with that boxy 4:3 frame feels less like a budget constraint and more like a director already thinking in shapes and restrictions, which is basically the entire Nolan playbook from here on out. You can already see the instincts that built Memento and The Prestige sitting right there in embryo form. It is barely a feature, more a tight little fable about obsession and identity theft told backwards and forwards at once, but for a guy making his first film on weekends with a cast of friends in 1998, this is shockingly assured. See more Jonathan S. @JonathanColeSpivey Jun 14 Following (1998) is a pulp fiction neo noir crime film about a writer, The Young Man, who follows strangers for writing material in the broad day light, or into the darkness, of London. The young writer played by Jeremy Theobold eventually gets caught by Cobb (Alex Haw) a mad thief who toys with others properties and lives. He sometimes takes items and misplaces them and sets the owners up to become a wedge in relationships. Cobb lures The Young Man, a local inspiring writer, into his secret life of breaking and entering and theft. The Young Man trails him to construct his story. The Young Man comes across a tainted past from one of his trespasses, The Blond played by Lucy Russel. He begins to see her and spends time hearing her story. The Blond unveils her shadowy path when she confesses a crime she witnessed from an old psychotic boyfriend. She becomes an accomplice to a violent murderer which others in the underground can hang over her head. (Read review at Cole Spivey’s Facebook See more Townes D @RT25529920 Jun 14 It was incredible. When I started watching it I didnt know what I would think about but I loved. 10/10 DO recommend See more Tom F @RT55173143 Mar 2 Christopher Nolan on a tight budget and brief running time turns out to be just okay. See more Tyler S @tylerking24 Dec 1 I'll probably raise this after watching it a second time, but this was a cool way for Christopher Nolan to introduce himself to Hollywood. A pretty fascinating story that had me a little lost early, but it all got tied together by the end. Just like Nolan normally does. See more Ashtin K @RT01138635 Nov 2 The film is a black-and-white, 16mm masterclass in characterization, brisk storytelling and shot composition that will leave you thinking, “man, this Christopher Nolan guy knows how to make a movie”. See more Read all reviews
Following

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Movie Info

Synopsis Lacking prospects, a writer (Jeremy Theobald) begins tailing strangers, until he encounters a voyeuristic thief (Alex Haw).
Director
Christopher Nolan
Producer
Christopher Nolan, Jeremy Theobald, Emma Thomas
Screenwriter
Christopher Nolan
Distributor
Zeitgeist Films, Columbia Tristar
Production Co
Next Wave Films
Rating
R (Some Violence|Language)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 2, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$47.9K
Runtime
1h 9m