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“You can just feel the details. The bits and pieces you never bothered to put into words. And you can feel these extreme moments... even if you don't want to. You put these together, and you get the feel of a person. Enough to know how much you miss them... and how much you hate the person who took them away.”
- Leonard Shelby
Review in a Sentence: Memento, a memory within a memory, is a fascinating mind-blending adventure.
Story in a Sentence: A man shoots another man in the head at blank point. The two men's pasts are shown in flashbacks, each one earlier in time than what we've just seen.
Writer’s Commentary: Some impressions are better left lost.
The Curtain-Raiser
Nolan's early masterwork is a fantastic mystery-thriller told in reverse-chronological order, and it is one of the most dynamic and creative original screenplays of the 2000s decade. Memento brings to life film making in ways not seen in years.
Introduction
Director - Christopher Nolan
Genres - Mystery, Thriller
Cast - Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Jorja Fox
Subject Matter- Moderate – Memory Loss
Narrative Style - Complex
Pace - Normal
Duration - 1 hr 53 min
Audience Type - Slightly Mainstream
Awards - Won Screenwriting Award & Nom. for Grand Jury Prize (Sundance); Nom. for 2 Oscars – Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing.
Synopsis - Non-Spoiler Alert!
The Opening Shot
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“I can't remember to forget you”
- Leonard
The chapter of this film and the lead character started in black and white. Leonard Shelby emerges in a Discount Inn bed, confused as to why he is there. When the phone rings, he answers it and talks with an unidentified caller.
He informs the caller that he has Anterograde amnesia, a disease that prevents him from creating new memories. He explains the disorder by telling the story of Sammy Jankis (Stephen Tobolowsky), who suffered from it.
The subsequent story is in colour, but it is told in reverse chronological order in the film.
Elevator Pitch
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“I don't even know how long she's been gone. It's like I've woken up in bed and she's not here... because she's gone to the bathroom or something. But somehow, I know she's never gonna come back to bed. If I could just... reach over and touch... her side of the bed, I would know that it was cold, but I can't. I know I can't have her back... but I don't want to wake up in the morning, thinking she's still here. I lie here not knowing... how long I've been alone. So how... How can I heal? How am I supposed to heal if I can't... feel time?”
- Leonard Shelby
This is a complicated tale about Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man for whom the ability to form new memories is harmed after he is knocked unconscious in the head while fighting two people who are targeting his wife (Jorja Fox) at their home in the middle of the night. During the attack, he kills one of the attackers, and one of the last things Leonard recalls is his wife dying.
He's on the hunt for his wife's murderer, and he's making up for his disability by taking Polaroids, analyzing them, and tattooing vital information on his body. We meet the jovial Teddy and the seductive Natalie (a waitress who promises to assist), and amidst all this, we catch a glimpse of Leonard's wife through flashbacks well before the attack.
The film jumps back and forth between these potential events and a phone conversation Leonard is having in his hotel room, in which he compares his current situation to that of a client, Sammy Jankis whose argument he once handled.
Is Leonard close to catching the killer? Who's directing and manipulating whom? The plot takes a surprising turn as it becomes clear that the two characters have a lot more in common than is initially implied.
Anticipating the Complexity, Narrative and Directional Aspects
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“Memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts.”
- Leonard
Memento is a film with a lot of ambiguity. Because of its complexity, it is regarded as one of the most intelligent films available, leaving audiences in a hopeful daze as they interpret what actually occurred, since there are numerous ways of interpreting the film.
Nolan employs a non-linear narrative method, recounting the series of events in reverse order in chapters. As a result, the beginning of Memento foreshadows the ending, and vice versa.
To add to the difficulty of Memento's narrative composite, Nolan adds a separate chain of linear sequences that serve as transitions between the non-linear sequences.
Suspense is elevated in some scenes, which are accompanied by low shimmering beats. The cinematography, framing, and visual effects are all positive aspects that can be enjoyed even more with repeated viewings. Even then, the movie's dynamic remains unchanged.
I believed Quentin Tarantino experiments with non-linear storytelling a lot, but not as much as Christopher Nolan did with Memento. Even though I was struggling to understand the story line, I was sucked in. I was engrossed in the storey and wanted to know how it concluded or began, depending on one's interpretation.
Psychological Analysis and Opinion Corner
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“I have to believe in a world outside my own mind.”
- Leonard
Upon seeing the film "Memento," the most intriguing part/scene is whether the leading actor's wife was actually murdered and raped by another attacker or it's just a manifestation of Leonard Shelby's imagination.
From Leonard's point of view, he wants the entire audience to believe that his wife was murdered and raped, but in my opinion, the situation can simply be a riddle, it can be Leonard's mere imagination.
The only element that seemed to be real in this film is Leonard's wife dying in an accident or from diabetes. However, we as readers remain constantly perplexed about the truth, does Leonard create his own version of the story in his very own imagination and as a result, he must seek vengeance, or this is simply because it's the only way that Leonard can find a justification for his existence.
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“You're not a killer, [pinches Leonard's cheek] that's why you're so good at it.”
- Teddy
The movie also made me consider the concept of self-deception and how we lie to ourselves to help ourselves get happier and to give our lives meaning. Without giving too much away about the film, that is how I feel about it. We doubt the film's truth and what Leonard, our untrustworthy narrator, is telling us.
“You don't want to know the truth. You make up your own reality."
- Teddy
The Bottom Line
“So You Lie To Yourself To Be Happy, There's Nothing Wrong With That, We All Do It.”
- Teddy
Memento is without a doubt one of the best independent films to have ever blessed our screens. While it may seem bizarre at first, you all as audiences, will progressively become familiar to how Memento is portrayed.
The first time I saw the film, I was astounded by how it ends and how baffling the reveal is. In that moment, you're like Leonard, and that's the beauty of the filming, how it makes you feel like the main character when all of this information is disclosed.
One of the key reasons to keep returning to Memento is not because it's an exceptionally well-made film, but because I'm still looking for new hints that I didn't notice the previous times I watched it.
My ratings for the movie - 4.8 on 5
Written By - Prakriti Chaudhary
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