**** (out of ****)
Starring Jeremy Theobold, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell, and John Nolan.
Directed, written, and photographed by Christopher Nolan, with music by David Julyan.
1999 R
Dozen-or-So Best Films of 1999
“Following” is the directorial debut of Christopher Nolan, who has gained fame with “Memento,” one of the best movies of 2001, and his remake of the Norwegian psychological thriller “Insomnia.” From its opening shot of gloved hands pawing feverishly over a box of keepsakes, “Following” is an engrossing, almost hypnotic examination of voyeurism and film noir. Murder, blackmail, torture, betrayal, a nameless crime boss, and the blonde femme fatale all come together at the film’s end with diabolical ingenuity and the complete, unavoidable consistency of a noir plot like “Blood Simple.” “Following” is one of those movies where, when the net has finally closed, you hear at least two or three people in the audience smiling and making an “oh” sound. The ending is a surprise, but it plays fair with you. No long lost relatives are pulled from outer space; the existing characters and situations are just rearranged and we’re stunned that we didn’t see them that way before.
But, like in “Memento” and “Insomnia,” Nolan proves that he is one of the most promising new filmmakers not just because of his ability to weave such ingenious webs, but because he is devoted to the rich development of his protagonists. All of his films have a subtext, or a “second level,” of intrigue that is equal to the closing of the net. “Following’s” protagonist is an unemployed writer trapped in a life so empty, so devoid of personality, that he has taken to following strangers around London for hours at a time. The nameless young man (Jeremy Theobald) claims that he follows because he is doing character research for his writing. But it soon becomes clear that he is filling the void of his own mind. “There are a hundred thousand questions about everyone you see on the street,” he says. “I wanted to answer all of them.”
Eventually one of Theobald’s subjects turns on him. His name is Cobb (Alex Haw) and not only is he not angry that the writer has been following him, but he understands Theobald’s obsession completely. Cobb is a burglar but, as he explains to Theobald as he takes him on several burglaries, fencing the goods for profit is tertiary to entering someone else’s life. More important than money is digging through their possessions, finding their secret box of keepsakes, and dumping it out on the floor. Cobb is able to understand everything about a person’s life just by his belongings. Theobald even takes Cobb to burgle his own apartment, just so he can hear Cobb’s interpretation of who he is by what he owns. The young writer is entranced, both by Cobb’s seemingly blustery, full personality, and by his newfound ability to enter the lives of others more fully than following ever could. But Cobb’s psychology is no more complete than Theobald’s; he lives in other people’s homes, sometimes for weeks if they’re on vacation, and he fills his vacant self with their lives.