| MEMENTO |
 2001 – USA
Director: Christopher
Nolan - Reviewed by Linda
Across his chest, in reverse letters to be read in a mirror, Leonard sees the ultimate reminder of who he is, and what he needs to do: "John G. raped and murdered my wife." Leonard's memory only goes up to the point where his adored wife was raped and murdered, and he was whacked in the head by an unseen assailant in his effort to save her. Since then, his memory has been stunted: in the middle of a conversation, he forgets how it started; he is running down the street, but forgets where he is going. He keeps Polaroid pictures and notes in his pockets of not only clues to finding his wife's murderer, but of very basic information, like a photo of what his car looks like, photos of his acquaintances and if he trusts them or not, and a picture of the cheap hotel he is staying in. And all across his chest and his body are tattooed facts - like "Fact #5: Drug Dealer" - clues that bring him one step closer to finding John G. and avenging his wife's death. Now, that basic premise alone makes for an interesting plot, but what makes Memento an unusual, and much buzzed-about film, is the way the plot is presented. The theater where I saw this film has signs posted everywhere, basically telling you that if you missed the opening scene, it was your own fault and they took no responsibility for you being an idiot. The opening scene is literally the climax of the whole plot presented in the movie, filmed in reverse. We see a Polaroid photo of a grizzly murder scene, un-developing until it fades to white. We see a gun jump from the floor into the hand of the shooter, the spent bullets jump back into the cartridge, and then finally blood un-splattering on the walls and back into the head of the person shot. After that (thankfully), we see scene after scene the plot unraveling in reverse (edited so that the following scene ends at the beginning of the previous scene), until the end, when we are at the beginning. Does that make sense? Let's just say, you have to concentrate really hard, just like poor Leonard, to figure out who's who, who is good or bad, and what is false and what is fact. You will grasp for clues that you didn't notice, and struggle to make sense of plot twists. As for the pacing of the film itself, the reverse plot kind of dragged in the middle... I started to wonder how many tattoos Leonard had, and if we'd have to see him carve each one onto his body. But when Memento picks up, it really has you in its grip. No bathroom breaks are allowed, and if you blink, you might miss something. Memento is the most enjoyable, twisted, and clever mystery since The Sixth Sense. This is definitely a film to watch twice, or at least watch with a friend, because as the end credits roll, you find yourself going, "Wha...???" and will need time to digest and discuss. |
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Leonard
Shelby (Guy Pearce) is the ultimate multi-tasker, a skill he learned as an
insurance agency rep. There was a little bit of Leonard that reminded me of
myself. I one had this job where I had to write post-it notes to myself
constantly, until they completely framed my computer screen (making it look like
a high-tech daisy), and I often found them sticking to my clothes when I left
the office ("Oh, that's right, I never returned his call..."). Except,
well, Leonard has short-term memory of the more extreme kind, and tattoos
the notes to himself all over his body.