"Memento" is a movie about memory and loss. It is sometimes
poignant, sometimes alarming, sometimes creepy and sometimes even
quite funny. It is also the biggest mindfuck of a movie to come down
the pike since "Total Recall". You may find yourselves watching
the film over and over again when it comes to home video not so much
because you liked it so much but more because you wanted to figure
it out.
It is also, for the most part, revolutionary filmmaking. It begins
at the end of the story and then traces how the whole affair got there.
I have read that this method was used once before: in the movie "Betrayal"
based on a play by Harold Pinter. But for most of us, this is the
first time we have seen it done. It has the same sense of playful
experimentation as movies like "Groundhog Day" and "Pulp
Fiction". Even taking into account the film's few flaws,
it is impossible not to be fascinated by it and to sit on the edge
of your seat, intrigued and sometimes frustrated and wondering what
the hell will happen next.
The film is the story of Leonard (Guy Pearce): a man whose wife has
been raped and murdered and he has been consumed with the desire to
find the killer ever since. He has also been plagued by short term
memory loss as a result of the whole experience. He can remember things
for only a short period of time (it seems to change depending on what
the movie wants to do in any given scene) and must, therefore, write
down everything he wants to remember. The really important stuff he
has tattooed on his own body: the only thing he is reasonably certain
not to lose. His only accomplices on his quest for revenge are a mysterious
man named Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) and a mysterious bartender whose
motives are shady (Carrie Anne Moss). The appearance of these two
in both this film and "The Matrix"
shows an exemplary talent for searching out something new and unusual.
"Memento" has a great number of strengths. The structuring
of the film, for one thing, is quite brilliant. By showing the film
in reverse order, the film gives us the same experience as the main
character has. We must really be alert, must really be thinking, in
order to piece everything together and remember the sequence of events.
I was really paying attention, and I was still pretty lost much of
the time. I am not even sure now, so many hours later, that I know
how it all fits together. This is both a good thing and a bad one.
It's not often you see a movie that is so different and so unique
that it's both invigorating and frustrating. That is both a compliment
to the film and a backhanded insult.
The performances are very good as well. Guy Pearce is remarkable as
Leonard: mysterious, vulnerable, tragic and twisted in some ways.
Why this guy isn't used more often is a mystery to me. I also thought
Joe and Carrie Anne were excellent in their roles, for much the same
reasons as Guy. But I really want to congratulate Stephen Tobolowsky
and Harriet Sansom Harris as a couple struggling (in Leonard's flashbacks)
with the same malady as Leonard.
Their story is so compelling that it's almost more interesting than
the main one.
But, as I said, the structure and strength of the film is also its
weakness to an extent. On further inspection, I have spotted what
I think are several plot holes. Such as: when Leonard is driving somewhere,
he never makes a note where he is going. Wouldn't that be crucial
for a man who forgets what happened two minutes ago? Another thing
I spotted: if he can't remember anything since his wife's death, how
can he remember that he has short term memory loss? Then again, maybe
he's just faking....? Who knows. I don't. If I ever see the director
and screenwriter of the film (Christopher Nolan) I shall grill him
for hours on the details and let you know. It does make you think,
however. Long and hard.
But you should definitely go see it. After all, I can safely say that
you have never seen anything like it before. Not as far as I can remember.
