"Memento"

For my next blog, I decided to watch and analyze Christopher Nolan’s movie, Memento, that he directed in 2000. Memento is a murder-mystery, psychological thriller film about a man, Leonard Shelby, hunting his wife’s murderer, however, Leonard has one problem preventing him from solving this mystery. Leonard has a rare condition called short-term memory loss. He can remember his whole life up until the point where he got in an accident resulting in the death of his wife. Not only is Leonard trying to find, and kill, his wife’s murderer, but in doing so he is also trying to overcome his short-term memory loss. Throughout the film, he leaves pictures and notes, containing clues on them, for his future self to remember. He even tattoos clues on his body to help him remember facts about his suspect and the various people he meets along the way, if he is able to trust them or not. Memento is different from most movies because Memento unfolds in a backwards manner. The movie begins with the lead actor, Guy Pierce, solving the mystery, and killing the man who is believed to have killed Leonard’s wife. As the movie unfolds, we see proof of how Leonard solved the mystery and the many people he has met along the way. 

Overall, on a scale from A to F, I would have to give Memento a B rating. It was an extraordinary movie with excellent stylistic elements. The reason that I did gave the movie a B and not an A was because I did find some scenes to be too slow and not living up to my expectations. Although I did enjoy the movie it is not my favorite and it is not something that I would want to see again. If the movie were not filmed in this backward style, it would not have been as successful if it were shot in a more traditional fashion. The whole point of filming Memento in this style was to make the audience feel how Leonard felt: to put us in his shoes, by making us feel as if we are suffering from memory loss ourselves. With Leonard’s short-term memory loss, the audience is given a taste of how having that condition would be like and how frustrating it can be at times. With the movie being shot in this backwards style, the audience is more engaged and interested in the movie. With Memento being shot in this style, we are engaged in it, and the movie makes us think about what will happen next as if we are playing detective along with Leonard. As a thriller movie, the audience is left hanging on the edge of their seats waiting for what will happen next. If the movie were shot in a more normal, traditional sequence, the film would not have been as successful, interesting or engaging. Great movies are supposed to make the viewers think about they just saw, and Memento hits the nail on the head straight on.