Christopher Nolan's "remarkable" debut movie lands new UK streaming home

If you're looking to fill the gap in your Christopher Nolan filmography, the director's little-known debut has just been added to Mubi. Before the success of The Odyssey and Oppenheimer and even before The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and Interstellar, 1998's Following was Nolan's first attempt at putting his unique vision on the big screen.

The independent film was also written, photographed and edited by Nolan as well as co-produced by the director alongside his wife, Emma Thomas, and actor Jeremy Theobald.

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Following tells the story of an aspiring writer, known just as 'The Young Man', who becomes drawn into London's criminal underworld after following strangers in an effort to find inspiration for his first novel.

The film's cast and crew were made up of Nolan's friends who filmed on weekends over a year in order to work around their full-time jobs. He also made the film without a budget, instead using the homes of friends and family for scenes.

While Following didn't make Nolan a household name, the film was praised by critics, who quickly realised Nolan's unique genius.

The Los Angeles Times wrote: "Following was a remarkable debut, even ignoring the fact that it was shot on weekends over several months. Not merely was it technically professional, but Nolan had crafted a script cleverer and more complex than most 'blockbusters'.

The San Francisco Chronicle said: "Audiences will walk out of the theater shocked to find that only 70 minutes have gone by. It's a complete journey, with no skimping on substance and no wasted time."

While the Daily Telegraph added: "This black-and-white thriller with a double twist has a melancholy, nervous sensibility of its own that makes it a rewardingly unsettling, deeply suggestive experience."

Related: All 13 Christopher Nolan movies ranked from Following to The Odyssey

Alongside Following, Nolan's second film, the better known Memento, has also just been added to Mubi.

Released in 2000, the film follows former insurance investigator Leonard who suffers from anterograde amnesia meaning he has no short-term memory.

Desperate to track down the man who murdered his wife, Leonard must use a system of notes, tattoos and a Polaroid camera to piece together the evidence and find the perpetrator.

Following is now available to stream on Mubi.

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Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.

After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.

Outside of her work at Digital Spy, she writes about pop culture, with a special focus towards Irish media and how it intersects with politics.