Memento

Rating: 9/10 (13 May 2005)

Memento is the story of a man battling an injury that affects his memory as he tries to uncover the identity of a man who assaulted and helped kill his wife. Memento is puzzling as it develops, rather than after its conclusion, as with some others. We are given enough evidence to speculate in a few directions as to what truly has occurred, but only over limited circumstances and time. Every facet of everyday reality is called into question, as the main character, Leonard, played by Guy Pierce, has a form of brain damage that limits his ability to create new memories. Leonard, a former claims investigator, relies on his investigative "instinct," supposedly controlled by another center of the brain, to tell friend from foe. As we see, this ability is not perfect. The film centers on who among Leonard?s contacts are to be trusted and who aren't, what their motivations are, and what Leonard?s are.
The story is told in reverse, in color, and forward, in black and white. In color, we watch Leonard compile his evidence in segments representing segments of his memory, with attention paid to the clues he collects and the contacts he makes, while in black and white we see Leonard relating his story on the phone to someone he believes is a police officer. Leonard believes his truth-sensing ability is contingent in large part upon judging a person's expressions and movement, and as such doesn't normally trust anyone he can't stare down. Presumably, however, Leonard answers the telephone shortly after his memory has reset, and is more likely to be fooled into revealing his thoughts on his situation before he can collect his notes and review his tattoos. Thus, a large part of the "facts" we are given on Leonard and his story are told through the forward-filmed segments where Leonard believes he is speaking to a police officer in confidence. Leonard eventually uncovers a tattoo warning him not to speak via phone, whereupon he breaks off this communication.
The established story gets weaker and weaker as the film continues. Leonard's story of the police refusing to investigate the case, wanting for some reason want to deny that Leonard was hit by the second of assailants who attacked his wife, begins to make less sense as details are revealed. Leonard?s condition is exceedingly rare, but both he and Sammy Jankis somehow develop it. Several similar discrepancies lead the viewer to question most of the facts by the film's conclusion. Ultimately, we are left to guess at Leonard's motives, as well as his history. When Leonard dooms Teddy to eventual death by manipulating his own memories ('"don't believe his lies"), we are left to guess whether he does so out of a pathological desire to kill or because he sees Teddy as a crooked cop (who may not even be a cop) who has been manipulating Leonard's memory disorder for his own ends, killing and robbing drug dealers, in particular. When Leonard kills Jimmy, who he thought was "John G." at the time, only to find that Teddy had set the situation up to cash in on the drug money, it's possible that Leonard considered turnabout fair play, repaying Teddy's betrayal with one of his own. However, Teddy seems to believe he had an agreement with Leonard to split the drug money after the killing, a likely excuse, but possibly true, which would considerably alter our view of Leonard's motives.
The director, Nolan, lets the viewer draw their own conclusions. The evidence that Leonard is, in his mind, a righteous killer, I believe is in his own clues. Throughout the film, we see Leonard compile and tattoo clues on his body designed to help him find "John G." While the ending confirms that Leonard is serious about the investigation, we are left with the possibility that he, too, is using himself as an assassin of sorts, eliminating his enemies with a clean conscience by setting them up as "John G." Of course, this is speculation, but not implausible. While the clues Leonard leaves for himself are numerous and all directed toward "John G.," Leonard can change his goals on a whim based on any assumption, and his goals could be far from static in purpose. While it isn't clear, Leonard may have simply suspected Teddy, with Natalie planting the bait on him and/or Jimmy that lead to their deaths; however, it's also possible that Leonard has been through several "John G.'s," and needs the hunt to give purpose to his life. These are a few of many possible interpretations. In the end, the director chooses to leave many variables undefined, adding to the effectiveness of the film, even if at the cost of some confusion.