MovieChat Forums > Following (1999) Discussion > how is the story told? (possible spoiler...

how is the story told? (possible spoilers)

posted 18 years ago by pureskils2000
14 replies | jump to latest

When going into this movie I was expecting Nolan's style like in Memento. Which I got after finishing it. But when watching Memento, it tells the beggining and the end and works its way to the middle. My question is how is this story told? I'm a bit confused since half way through the movie I was thinking it was told the same way as memento.

[–] sdckapr 18 years ago

But when watching Memento, it tells the beggining and the end and works its way to the middle. My question is how is this story told?

Memento as you mention has 2 "timelines". The timelines are differentiated by color. It alternates from the color, "reverse flowing" and the the black and white "forward flowing" meeting in the middle.

In Following there are 4 timelines (all Black and white) and all moving forward within that timeline. The differentiation is with the character of Bill. They jump among the 4 timelines as required for the plot.

The framing story/timeline is Bill with the detective telling his story. This is the "final seqment" in the chronology.

The initial segment is "unkempt Bill", the 2nd segment is "dapper Bill", and the third segment is "Beatup Bill". The physical differences in Bill's appearance (instead of color) are the visual clue to where in the story we are.

There is also a "reveal" segment (Cobb and the Blonde) which is for us viewers and which Bill is completely unaware of which shows us the "twist".

[–] krish-kumar 18 years ago

Following has what is called a non-linear narrative. Don't think Memento is non-linear at all. Just reverse chronology. Think about it.

[–] sdckapr 18 years ago

Don't think Memento is non-linear at all. Just reverse chronology

Memento is better described ad "non-linear" than "reverse chronology" since it has 2 time lines and only one has "reverse flow" (the other is "forward flow".

It alternates between forward (BW) and reverse (color) flowing narrative. In reality most of the film flows forward since half the sequence are ordered this way and within all the sequences (except the very first) the flow is forward.

The film opens with the "end", goes to the "beginning" and alternates between them and meets in the middle of the story at the end of the film, so I think the best description of the non-linearity is "hairpin".

[–] Jake3988 18 years ago

Its fairly hard to follow (took me over half the movie to figure it out).

Memento has a black and white scene that goes forward through time. The Color scenes in Memento go backwards in time. They eventually meet up at the end.

In Following, there's 2 main storylines, both going forward. One is earlier in time, the other is later in time. When he shaves off his beard and cuts his hair... he almost does look like a different person entirely.

Eventually they meet up, creating a third timeline which then jumps ahead to the police scene we saw at the beginning.

The fourth timeline is a short timeline (2 or 3 scenes worth) that shows Cobbs' fake relationship with the woman. That eventually merges with timeline 3 which creates our twist ending.

[–] sdckapr 18 years ago

In Following, there's 2 main storylines

I think you missed the 3rd "main" timeline ("beat up Bill"). http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0154506/board/thread/72193824?d=72248054&p=1#72248054

Whether the police is considered a separate timeline or just a framing element is debatable.

The "reveal" I am not sure I would call a "timeline" (which you also seem to not list as a "main one")

[–] jtf1986 15 years ago

Just a framing element. They are shown in the same place in the chronilogical version of the movie.

[–] sdckapr 15 years ago

Just a framing element. They are shown in the same place in the chronilogical version of the movie.

But it is NOT "Just a framing element", since it does take place after the elements of the Timeline3. It is structured as a framing element, but is also a 4th timeline.

The chronoversion does not move all the first frame elements to the end, since it contains the initial structural elements and would have required re-edits and refilming to separate them and also remove the voice-over.

[–] Strunkinator 12 years ago

In a baseball game, there are 9 innings which can be thought of as a three-act structure:

123 456 789

Following goes:

147 258 369

and they're bookended with the top and bottom of the "10th inning" which is the detective interview.

How do you like that piece of satire?

[–] sdckapr 12 years ago

In a baseball game, there are 9 innings which can be thought of as a three-act structure:

123 456 789

Following goes:

147 258 369

and they're bookended with the top and bottom of the "10th inning" which is the detective interview.

That seems to be a little oversimplified. The structure of the film is much more complex than Nolan's other films.

In the first place there are more than 3 segments (4-6 depending on the timeline and how you count them) in each of the 3 timelines. Also in the scheme like you have, the film would not go from 1 to 4, it goes from 1 to 5 and then to 8 and later 3 transitions to 4 to show the connection and 6 transitions to 7.

There is another overriding pattern that after each of the transitions there is a "reveal segment" which the viewer is privy to, but that neither the Young man or the policeman is, which adds a twist to what we had already seen.

In addition the framing sections after the 3 timelines, there is a flashback and teaser which seem to occur before the start of the 1st timeline [though the teaser could be during the events of the first timeline, it is not explicitly defined]

The voiceover montage/flashbacks during the first frame also gives a "preview" of each of the 3 segments to help orient us in the 3 timelines

[–] Strunkinator 12 years ago

Well, yeah, it's not quite as simply as I put it with my baseball analogy, but that's certainly how you'd explain it beforehand to some retard who wants nothing but mindless entertainment and can't understand non-linear plots.

How do you like that piece of satire?

[–] sdckapr 12 years ago

that's certainly how you'd explain it beforehand to some retard who wants nothing but mindless entertainment and can't understand non-linear plots

Those are the people I would recommend not watch the film but find some popcorn flick or watch a SyFy Channel Saturday night movie.

I don't think everyone should watch every movie...

[–] sdckapr 18 years ago

My question is how is this story told?

In case you are interested in more details, I created a FAQ for this subject http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0154506/faq

[–] drichar3-1 17 years ago

Can you retitle your post to include the fact that it may include spoilers for BOTH 'Following' and 'Memento'?
I figured if I was going to watch Nolan's films, I'd do it in order. Needless to say, after watching 'Following,' I came here to check out the discussion . . . and well, your post has kind of spoiled 'Memento' for me.

[–] sdckapr 17 years ago

well, your post has kind of spoiled 'Memento' for me.

I don't see where the Memento spoilers are. It is no secret that the timeline in memento is non-linear and has a hairpin structure. Nolan wants the viewer to figure this out as soon as possible.

When my (then) 14 yr old son, wanted to view it, I took some time and explained this before we watched the movie to make sure he was not confused by it and could see the structure.