When I realized that I love Christopher Nolan, I had to pickup a copy of everything that he's made (only missing Quay documentary at the moment, in process). This movie was made for only $6k. He really turned out something awesome for such a low budget.
I think you also see what he does with storytelling. He almost always has a big twist in the plot that makes sense and is wonderful. I remember being a little unsure about this movie until I got towards the end when stuff started to make sense. This was a great start to his career.
The look and style feel very much the same as well. I kind of like the low budget look sometimes too. This smaller 16mm resolution fits the story well. A major plus side to this movie is also the fact that it is only a bit over an hour long.
I say that, because I don't think the story could have drawn out much longer. I'm really glad they didn't try to stretch it just for standard run time. This isn't a movie that I think everyone will enjoy. It isn't filled with great actors or action scenes. While I do see some really flat moments and coldness, I certainly enjoy checking it out again from time to time.
Also, I did watch his first short 'Doodlebug' as well again. That is quite the interesting student film, that's for sure. Check it out if you can.
