Memento(2001)
Directed (and written) by: Christopher Nolan
Synopsis (Rotten Tomatoes): Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) wears expensive, European tailored suits, drives a late model Jaguar sedan, but lives in cheap, anonymous motels, paying his way with thick wads of cash. Although he looks like a successful businessman, his only work is the pursuit of vengeance: tracking and punishing the man who raped and murdered his wife. His suspicions dismissed by the police, Leonard's life has become an all-consuming quest for justice. The difficulty, however, of locating his wife's killer is compounded by the fact that Leonard suffers from a rare, untreatable form of memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his "accident", Leonard can't remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he is, where he's going or why. A former insurance investigator, Leonard is keenly aware of his handicap. Moreover, he's got the discipline to compensate as well as the motivation-the cruel memory of his beloved wife's last moments. Haunted by what he's lost, he's re-built his life out of index cards, photographs, file folders, charts, tattoos and obsessive habits that stand in for memory, fixing him in space and time and connecting him to his mission. Out of necessity, Leonard must rely on others despite being thoroughly ill-equipped to assess either their motives or basic decency. Leonard remembers his past-up to a point. But just who has Leonard become since losing the ability to hold together the fragments of himself? "Memento" mines this psychological terrain, using non-linear film narrative to mirror Leonard's own effort to interpret the random pieces of evidence he hoards. The murder, rewound in the opening frames, we discover, is logically the endpoint of Leonard's story. What we learn comes from a point earlier in time, a few moments and a few sentences prior to what we've already been shown. As Leonard's story unfolds, the meaning of events changes. Allies, enemies, victims, victimizers swap place almost kaleidoscopically.
Impressions that I get: So, I watched this movie for about the 6th time yesterday, proving to myself once again why it is the best film I've ever seen. Even though I feel like I have all the nooks and crannys of the film down, I still get more and more out out of it with each successive view. Not only is this movie structured in the most unique, yet bizzarely comprehendable, form imaginable, it also gets to some mind numbing philosophical questions with its excellent dialouge. What does it mean to have memory? Are we still human without memory? Does time exist if we don't have memory? This film isn't just an artsy, intellectual film, it is also clever and intriguing with its well engineered plot and film noir atmosphere and sound.
This film is not built solid from the ground up, with the basic characters and setting having the same meaning over time. It is just floating out there, and every time you think you have it figured out, you realize that there is just even more going on than you realized. That is one of my favorite aspects of the film, the film isn't simply entertaining you and doing all of the work, you have to keep thinking and reasoning yourself in order to try to comprehend the wide structure of Memtento. However, this is not just mind games for the sake of it. Nolan truly is trying to show people what the meaning of memory is while having a fun time with the murder mystery aspect of it as well. On all levels, this film is a home run becuase "the more you put in, the more you get out." I have spent a lot of time thinking about the importance of films like this and I can safely say that, when I saw Memento for the first time 4 years ago, it changed my expectations for movies. I began to realize that films were an art, not simply an entertainment. There was so much potential that could be utilized in a film that couldn't be done with a play, song, or painting. By choosing to create the complex chronology, surreal dynamics, and alternating storylines, Nolan was trying to reach the pinnacle of art in film. Now, I think that The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Prestige, and Insomnia are all great movies (In the Dark Knights case, VERY great), but nothing matches Memento. For me at least. To paraphrase Leonard, "watching this movie is alot like waking." I might be lost or confused, but that feeling of prominence creeps over me like the sun rising over the horizon..- AT (Sorry if this review seemed terribly scattershot, my thoughts sort of tumbled out)
Acting (8.5/10)- Guy Pierce was fantastic, why haven't I seen him in anything else?
Plot (9/10)- Goes beyond film noir, the plot changes meaning as more is revealed
Cinematography (9/10)- Excellent, black/white balance with color, captures the "little things"
Orginality (10/10)- This is extraordinary.
My Grade: A+
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