Wednesday, June 1, 2011

#299. Memento (2000)


Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano




Tag line: "Some memories are best forgotten"

Trivia:  Aaron Eckhart, Brad Pitt, Charlie Sheen and Thomas Jane were considered for the role of Leonard before Guy Pearce got the part







Film makers should be able to experiment with narrative without alienating the audience, and without creating something that is impenetrable.” 

This is a quote from director Christopher Nolan, whose film Memento kicked conventional narrative to the curb. A story of revenge told in reverse, from ending to beginning, Memento is remarkable in that, despite revealing its conclusion in the opening moments, the movie still finds a way to surprise us with damn near every scene. 

Insurance adjuster Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) suffers from a rare disorder that affects his short-term memory, a condition that resulted from an injury he sustained when two crooks broke into his house and attacked him. Tragically, Leonard's wife (Jorja Fox), who was raped by one of the assailants, died shortly after this very incident. 

Remembering everything up to his wife's death yet unable to recall what happened five minutes in the past, Leonard is determined to exact bloody revenge on those who ruined his life. 

The only information he has to go on is the name “John G.”, who the police have identified as a person of interest in his beloved's death. Two people, Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) and Natalie (Carrie Anne Moss), are "assisting" Leonard in the search for his wife’s killer. But with his memory so unreliable, can either of them really be trusted?

As mentioned above, events in Memento unfold backwards, with the finale playing out during the opening credits. This unique approach might have you thinking that the mystery surrounding Leonard's search for justice is over before it begins, but nothing could be further from the truth. Nolan and his team structure the story in a way that brings us into Leonard's world, allowing us to see things as he sees them, and a
t times it can be downright confusing. 

We often feel just as disjointed as poor Leonard, who occasionally finds himself caught up in a dangerous situation, with no idea how he got there. One morning, he wakes up in a strange hotel room, where he discovers a badly beaten man (Callum Keith Rennie) bound and gagged in his closet. At this point in the film, neither Leonard nor the audience have seen this guy before, and we wonder who beat the crap out of him, and how he fits into the story. 

From the opening scene, we know how the film will end, but the journey to that conclusion features one mystery after another. And this is what makes Memento such a gripping, suspenseful film; Nolan keeps us asking ‘why’, even when the who, what and where are a foregone conclusion. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

8 comments:

Anthony Lee Collins said...

I agree completely with Nolan's statement that you quote. I think that applies to fiction writers as well. There are many ways to tell a story, and some stories demand non-linear narrative.

And I do like this movie a lot, though I have been very disappointed with Nolan's work since. His first Batman was completely forgettable (I remember a monorail thing and a ticking bomb and that's it -- I don't even remember who the villain was). His second Batman was an okay movie with one unforgettable performance. Inception was eXistenZ on steroids, and I thought eXistenZ was just fine without steroids.

But this one is a good, smart, tight movie.

DVD Infatuation said...

@Anthony: I also agree with Nolan. In fact, the most interesting works, whether they be movies or whatever, usually play fast and loose with conventional narrative structure (Tarantino's damn near made a career out of doing so).

As for Nolan, I did enjoy both THE DARK KNIGHT and INCEPTION. As for your remark about BATMAN BEGINS being forgettable, I might have taken serious exception... if I could remember more than 5 minutes of the movie myself (though, to be fair, I've only seen it once, anf that was the week it was released)

Thanks for stopping by, and for the comment.

Anthony Lee Collins said...

I did enjoy Inception quite a bit (more than the Batman movies), but I didn't think it was on the level of Memento. More fun for the eyes, yes, but less entertaining for the brain.

As for Tarantino, definitely. A big inspiration for my writing, at one point (in terms of structure).

DVD Infatuation said...

Anthony: No argument here: INCEPTION was fun, but MEMENTO certainly had more meat on the bones!

Klaus said...

I couldn't agree more with your assessment of Memento. It's one of a handful of films that after seeing in theatre, I went to see again the following night.

That we know how the film ends, but that it remains a complete mystery as to how the characters get to the beginning - is a wonderful piece of storytelling. And the fact that that the narrative structure of the film mimics Leonard's journey is icing on the cake.

With work like Memento to his credit, I so looked forward to Inception, especially after seeing the trailers. Unfortunately I felt like asking for my admission back on that one.

DVD Infatuation said...

@Klaus: MEMENTO is great for all the reasons you go into.

As for INCEPTION, I certainly liked it better than you (I was genuinely entertained). Of course, it doesn't have the same clever subtlety as MEMENTO, but then, INCEPTION was never intended to BE a subtle film! For what it was, I liked it.

Thanks for the comment! They're always appreciated.

Chris said...

I couldn't figure out Memento , which made me love it even more for testing me, haha! Had to see it in chronological order on the dvd extras to finally "get it" ( :
Very well done, like you say his memory is unreliable, and we are sort of inside his head. For me, Chris Nolan is a true innovator of our times(minus the batmans) Nolan's The following (1999) likewise is structured out of order, very good also, recommended ( :

DVD Infatuation said...

@moviesandsongs365: MEMENTO was definitely a film you couldn't watch passively...it demanded your attention.

And I completely agree about Christopher Nolan. As for THE FOLLOWING, I did see it once, but it must be 8 years since I've done so, meaning it's about due for a re-watch.

Thanks for stopping by, and for the comment.