Following - Breaking In and Out of Order

Following

Director: Christopher Nolan

Other people are interesting to me. –Bill

The most important rule was that even if I found out where somebody works or where they live, then you’d never follow the same person twice. That was the most important rule. That’s the one that I broke first. –Bill

Everyone has a box. […] Sort of an unconscious collection, a display. Each thing tells something intimate about the people. It’s like a diary. –Cobb

Netflix blurb:

Christopher Nolan writes and directs this odd, claustrophobic neo-noir film about a seedy young Brit who’s obsessed with following people – albeit harmlessly at first. After meeting a like-minded bloke, the twosome graduate to breaking and entering – but meet their match in a tough blonde dame who may have dubious plans of her own.

I did something a little different this time. I read the Netflix description before I watched the movie. So I knew there was a dubious blond to watch out for. But knowing ahead of time where the movie was going didn't really help. Because with Christopher Nolan, you never really know where the movie is going. Of course, that’s not a fair assessment of all of Nolan’s films, but like Memento and Inception, Following leaves the viewer trying to piece information and scenes together into some sort of intelligible story line. Unfortunately, the Netflix description did not prepare me for that…

The initial premise – that of a man following random people throughout their days – is a bit off already. But then comes the first break-in. And it is the most psychologically interesting break-in I've seen. The point isn’t to burgle, exactly, but more to get a glimpse into the lives of the inhabitants, to, for a moment, become the inhabitants. They open a bottle of wine, trifle through a box of sentimental bits, take what they like but only if there is anything interesting enough to take. The point isn't to steal; it’s to become. Voyeurism verging on obsession. Obsession to become someone else…

As I mentioned, the movie has the disconnected feel of one of Christopher Nolan’s other big hits, Memento. And just like Memento, the movie’s scenes are not in chronological order. It does make me wonder if, during production, they filmed the scenes in chronological order, in viewing order or in no particular order at all. I realize that movies are not typically filmed in the order in which the viewer is meant to see them, and that order is often dictated by location, scheduling and daylight. But with a movie like this, where viewing isn’t meant to be chronological, and filming likely isn't chronological, how in the world did Christopher Nolan know in which order to splice the scenes for final cut?

Another interesting editing choice is the music. It’s often eerie when it need not be. It feels as if the director is trying to control the viewer’s perception by setting a mundane scene with sinister sounds. I suppose that’s part of his job: to shape the viewer’s experience and to coax the desired response. But in this case, I felt it. I felt the hand of the back office in the music. I felt that I was being told in what light to view the scenes and what my reactions to those scenes should be.

In a different style of movie, I might say that this detracts from the movie-viewing experience. When I’m being told how to perceive a scene or think about a character, I feel I am not able to immerse myself in the story. I’m not able to let the characters, scenery and sounds surround me and flow through me. However, in this case, it is so forced it feels intentional. It’s as if Nolan is speaking not only through the disorientation of the plot, but also through the heavy-handedness of the music. He’s overdone it so much that it becomes a character of its own. While it may not directly interact with the other characters, it certainly has a voice. And I have to think that was intentional. I have to.

I feel like I should watch this movie again, if only because I think I’ll catch more the second time around, now that I know the ending… or the middle… or… well, now that I've seen it once.

My takeaway: There is a fine line between voyeurism and obsession, just as there is a fine line between friend and enemy. And everyone has a box... and they want someone to see it.