A city loner follows strangers around the streets of London trying on other people’s lives. Low-budget debut by Christopher Nolan turns out to be an intricate puzzle of a film on persecution mania, anonymity, and loss of identity.
Bill, a young writer suffering from his own uselessness, describes his addiction to stalking. Having no sexual interest or urge to scare anyone, Bill targets and follows strangers until a person named Cobb draws his attention. Cobb is an untypical burglar who only steals personal belongings: notes, souvenirs—anything that reveals their owners’ habits and interests. Bill gets intrigued by such unusual logic and decides to break his own stalking rules to face Cobb.
The camera follows close behind the characters when they raid private dwellings. The script constantly juggles with the past and the present bringing on a perfect dramatic climax. It is one of the most convincing and charismatic debuts in the cinema history which is still relevant, twenty years after its release.
Following
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Great Britain, 1998. 70 min. 16+
