Christopher Nolan's First Crime Movie Is Impossible To Watch Today

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you're a Christopher Nolan fan, you likely know that his first film wasn't actually "Memento," the innovative crime thriller that proved to be Nolan's directorial breakthrough (much to the director's surprise). The British filmmaker's first project is usually listed as 1998's "Following," which he self-financed and shot using guerrilla tactics in and around London. Despite being a bit rough around the edges, that 16mm neo-noir featured all the lineaments of future Nolan films, including a non-linear narrative which would become a defining feature of the director's oeuvre as it developed. As such, "Following" is a fitting first film for the director, providing fans with an insight into how his filmmaking style began and developed. Except, it wasn't really Nolan's first film.

To be sure, "Following" was Nolan's feature directorial debut, but he'd made several short films before that — one of which has become somewhat legendary among super-fans of the filmmaker for being impossible to watch. While it hasn't fully transitioned into lost media territory, this film is, according to the New York Times, "the film Christopher Nolan doesn't want you to watch." What exactly is this lost Nolan project, and why is he so against anyone watching it? Well, like with all things Nolan — including his script for "Inception" — it's all a bit complex.

In 1996, Christopher Nolan debuted his short film "Larceny" at the Cambridge Film Festival. This would be the first and only time it was shown to a public audience, as ever since that day, "Larceny" has been kept under lock and key.

Like "Following," the eight-minute-long film was shot on black and white 16mm film while Nolan was part of the film society at University College London. Before "Larceny," which was shot in one weekend at Nolan's own apartment, the young director had contributed a short film named "Tarantella" to an episode of the TV series "Image Union" back in 1990. This early effort was similarly lost until internet sleuths tracked it down. Likewise, Nolan's 1997 three-minute short "Doodlebug" can also be seen online and is even included on the Criterion edition of "Following." Nolan even directed a short documentary film in 2015 about animators, the Brothers Quay, which is freely available. "Larceny," however, remains elusive, much to the annoyance of fans who want to complete the Nolan filmography.

The short featured collaborations with several people who would become frequent Nolan collaborators, including David Julyan, who provided the film's music and went on to work with the director on "Memento," "Insomnia," and "The Prestige" — three of the best Nolan films. The lead actor, Jeremy Theobald, also starred in "Following." In Darren Mooney's "Christopher Nolan: A Critical Study of the Films," Theobald spoke briefly about "Larceny," praising the script as unique. "This was witty," he said. "It was funny, it was pithy, and it was dark. It had a great twist at the end." Further details are sparse, but Nolan fans have managed to glean a few insights over the years they've spent searching for a copy of "Larceny."

We do know the story of "Larceny" involves an apartment burglary wherein the homeowner actually confronts the intruder during his break-in. In an interview with Empire magazine, Jeremy Theobald revealed this about the plot: "A man breaks into a flat, startling the occupant (me). They argue about the new girlfriend of the 'burglar', who's come to get her stuff. Then a third man bursts out of the cupboard." In an interview conducted after the release of "Following," Christopher Nolan himself referred to the short as an "8-minute film about a burglary, shot in B&W on 16mm" and revealed that it cost him £200 to make. Otherwise, very few people can claim to know much about the film, copies of which are said to exist but none of which have been made public.

Why Nolan — who is currently working on his adaptation of "The Odyssey" — has kept "Larceny" under wraps since its initial showing remains just as mysterious as the film itself. Assistant director of the short, Nigel Karikari, told the New York Times, "Chris is a very controlled artist, a controlled filmmaker. Him not wanting to release that is just another extension of that." In "Christopher Nolan: A Critical Study of the Films," Jeremy Theobald went on to say, "I think Chris thought it was too similar to 'Following,' that people would think that it was a test bed for 'Following.'"

Whatever the case, Nolan's refusal to revisit "Larceny" in any form has both frustrated and intrigued fans (if the Letterboxd comments are anything to go by). Is Nolan planning to use the short film's concept for a full-length film, or is he merely trying to keep people from seeing a project he perhaps isn't all that fond of in retrospect? Perhaps one day, "Larceny" will emerge and fans will be able to complete the Nolan filmography. For now, however, this remains a sought-after piece of lost media amid the director's oeuvre.