DKF Dot: “Following”

Christopher Nolan's directorial debut is at the same time a manifesto of his future cinema: labyrinthine narration, obsession with control and fascination with the fluid nature of identity. Filmed on a minimal budget (just $6,000!) , in black and white, using natural light and the London apartments of the director's friends, “Following” remains one of the most striking examples of independent cinema of the 90s.

The protagonist of the film, an unnamed young writer, begins to follow random people on the streets of London, treating them as material for his observations. At first, however, an innocent fascination quickly turns into a dangerous ritual when she meets the charismatic burglar Cobb — a guide through a world of manipulation, self-perpetuation, and moral confusion. Nolan guides the viewer through a series of seemingly unrelated events, breaking the linearity of the story and forcing the viewer to constantly reconstruct reality.

Already in this early film, all the motifs that would later define the work of the author of “Memento”, “Inception” or “Oppenheimer” are revealed: fragmentary memory, mistrust of perception, characters trapped in the constructions of their own mind, and time treated as a tool of dramatic manipulation. “Following” functions as a sketch of Nolan's future style, but at the same time remains an extremely raw and intimate work — an urban noir about loneliness, obsession and the desire to take control of someone else's life.

Presenter: Karolina Nowacka - film expert and Dariusz Janiczak film director and director.