Following (1998)

Premise: A young writer (Jeremy Theobald) follows people for material until a thief, Cobb (Alex Haw), turns the tables on him. Cobb takes the man under this wing, teaching him his personal style of robbery.

Is it me, or is Christopher Nolan kind of obsessed with the criminal mind? Think about it: Insomnia, Memento, soon-to-be-seen Batman Begins, this one. The original. Where it all started.

Ah, who cares if he is. He's a genius filmmaker with a wonderful sense of atmosphere, and he's a master of suspense. As a writer-director, Nolan's unparalled in these unconventional timelines (yet another film with two occuring simuletaneously), but his cinematography and editing reveal someone who revels in storytelling. He loves the details: a business card flicking against a telephone, a single pearl earring.

In the same way that I believe you learn more from a teacher who loves their subject, I think you get more out of a film when the director loves what he is doing, loves the story he's telling. Nolan obviously feels that kind of love. He lives for tension.

Also, because I am constantly anticipating interruptions, I need a film to go above and beyond in engrossing me to garner my complete attention. Sure, it helped that it is a scant 71 minutes, thus leaving less time to be interrupted, but Nolan pratically had me begging the DVD player on my hands and knees when it found an error on the disc in the last scene and quit working.

My heart goes out to Theobald. It's his story through and through, the rest (although talented) just bit players by comparison. He's two men, two roles to play with one body, neither fitting the way he thought they would.

An over-reaction to this gloriously crafted noir thriller? I think not. Yay Colin for recommending it. A