Following is a 1998 British neo-noir film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It tells the story of a young man who follows strangers around the streets of London and is drawn into a criminal underworld when he fails to keep his distance.
His debut film, it was designed to be as inexpensive as possible to make: scenes were heavily rehearsed so that just one or two takes were needed, thus economising on 16 mm film stock, the production's greatest expense, and for which Nolan was paying from his salary. Without expensive professional lighting equipment, Nolan mostly used available light. Apart from providing the script and direction, Nolan also did the photography, editing and production himself. The film has an unusual, non-linear plot structure which has been a feature in several of Nolan's films.
A struggling, unemployed young writer (credited as "The Young Man") takes to following strangers around the streets of London, ostensibly to find inspiration for his first novel. Initially, he sets strict rules for himself regarding whom he should follow and for how long, but soon discards them as he focuses on a well-groomed, handsome man in a dark suit. The man in the suit, having noticed he is being followed, quickly confronts the Young Man and introduces himself as "Cobb". Cobb reveals that he is a serial burglar and invites The Young Man to accompany him on various burglaries. The material gains from these crimes seem to be of secondary importance to Cobb, who takes pleasure in rifling through the personal items in his targets' flats, and doing things such as drinking their wine. He explains that his true passion is using the shock of robbery and violation of property to make his victims re-examine their lives. He sums up his attitude thus: "You take it away, and show them what they had."
(M. Steele)Michael
You think I'm crazy or something
Always following you around
You say I'm a hopeless case
Run an obsession into the ground
You call me a loser
You call me a shadowing fool
Look over your shoulder
And you say I'm haunting you
So why do you call me
Why do you look for me
Why do your eyes follow me the way they do You hold me responsible
Yeah, so I stand accused
Of causing all the trouble
After high school
Between him and you
You call me a loser
You call me a shadowing fool
But I was a good girl
Yeah, 'til you taught me
What it means to be true
Why do you call me
I know you look for me
Why do your eyes follow me the way they do
You think I'm crazy or something
Always following you around
You say I'm a hopeless case
Run an obsession ito the ground
You call me a loser
You call me a shadowing fool
Look over your shoulder
And you say I'm haunting you
So, why do you call me?
Why do you look for me?
Why do your eyes follow me the way they do?
You hold me responsible
Yes, so I stand accused
of causing all the trouble after highschool
between him and you
Yeah, you call me a loser
You call me a shadowing fool
But I was a good girl
Yeah, till you taught me
what it means to be true
So, why do you call me?
Why do you look for me
Why do your eyes follow me the way they do?
Why do you call me?
I know you look for me
I think that I'm not sleeping
And I'm standing in the store
Upon my millionth double take
Well, this time it really is you
I stumble 'Hi' on your starred blue eyes
And for this I've waited so long
Your glare agrees touch, "Return we"
And this time stars sing it perfect
You're following now me again
You following me always
You're following now me again
You following me always
I've waited to be in the open
Got it going nowhere
I don't know if this should show
But it doesn't matter not to
Well, ain't it gray out every day
I waited to see nothing
A perfect life when (we're standing eyes?)
And (dragons?) danced forever
You're following now me again
You following me always
You're following now me again
You following me always
You're following now me again
You following me always
You're following now me again
Well you don't wanna start
But I don't wanna wanna cry
I'm not getting tired of you
Well are you getting over
While I'm getting by
Even all the times I've thought
What we had, of course it makes me sad
That is when I say to myself
I won't be following
You were just borrowing me
Just one more cup of coffee
Before you have to leave
This room's not getting tired of you
I'm hungry for familiar
Look forward to my bath
Underwater time machine knows
Where you'll be,
I hope you think of me,
Even though you say to yourself
I won't be following
I won't be following
I won't be following
I won't be following
What we had, because it makes me sad