Following (1998) on Netflix
R19981h 9mCrimeMysteryThriller
Bill, an aspiring writer, follows strangers for inspiration. Cobb, a burglar, confronts him and takes him along on break-ins. Bill takes a new name and pursues a woman whose flat they robbed.
- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb7.4/10114,465 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes84%
Trailer
Plot summary
Bill, an unemployed aspiring writer in London, passes the time following strangers through the streets, studying their lives for material for a novel. He sets rules for himself about who is worth following and for how long, then abandons them when a well-dressed man in a dark suit catches his attention. Noticed and confronted, the man gives his name as Cobb and says he is a burglar. Cobb takes Bill along on break-ins, treating the stolen goods as secondary to the shock he leaves behind in his victims' homes. Encouraged by Cobb, Bill tries break-ins of his own, shortens his hair, wears a dark suit and takes the name Daniel Lloyd from a stolen credit card. He begins turning up where a blonde woman whose flat they burgled can be found.
Cast
- Gillian El-Kadias Home Owner
- Jennifer Angelas Waitress
- Nicolas Carlottias Barman
- Darren Ormandyas Accountant
- Guy Greenwayas Heavy #1
- Tassos Stevensas Heavy #2
- Tristan Martinas Man at Bar
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Following (1998)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- While Following was being shot, one of its locations was burgled for real, and props that had stood in for stolen items in the film's fictional burglaries were among the items taken, making some insert shots impossible to film.
- Shooting halted when actor Alex Haw shaved his head and only resumed once his hair grew back; during the break Nolan directed the short film Doodlebug (1997), starring Jeremy Theobald and co-produced by Emma Thomas.
- The Young Man's flat in Following was Jeremy Theobald's real flat, the film's main house was Nolan's parents' home, and Nolan's mother made sandwiches for the crew as catering.
- The Bald Guy uses a hammer in Following because the production's budget could not stretch to a sufficiently realistic gun prop.
- Nolan's crew on Following were friends who all held full-time jobs on weekdays, so filming took place exclusively on Saturdays.
- Nolan shot Following in black-and-white to evoke film noir and to disguise the tiny budget, since he found color cinematography harder to achieve cheaply.
