HARD TO FORGET

Rating: Null/10 (24 January 2002)

This is an inventive spin on the film noir genre. The character is set in a world of dark uncertainty where no one can be trusted because he cannot remember who the hell they were to begin with. All the characters who you believe are trustworthy are deceptive, and all the characters who aren't trustworthy might be, although you never get to find out. The narrative itself is layed out in the style of Leanords' thinking patterns, so the audience gets to understand and empathise with his condition. There is also a touching subtext about identifying with yourself by looking in the mirror and remembering what you've accomplished, in trusting others by remembering if they've hurt your feelings or have helped you out in some way, by knowing and understanding the past with written literature (his notes/tatoos), gaining emotional feelings like guilt and happiness with the passing of time through memories, and being told the things you want to be told and remembering what you want to remember, rather than hearing (and remembering) the truth. The fact that writer/director Chris Nolan manages to fit all these aesthetics into the films' running time with a narrative that is completely unique is quite an accomplishment. The narrative itself isn't actually ground breaking- it's a style which suits the film's concept perfectly and may therefore only influence films which have a similar theme (to adopt this style of narrative to a film that has nothing to do with these themes would be completely pointless). A film that once seen will never be forgotten 9/10.