Tips to decipher this film... ( no spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (6 September 2001)

Memento (2001) NewMarket Pictures
1 Hr. 37 Mins.
Starring: Guy Pierce, Joe Pantoliano, Carrie-Ann Moss
Directed by: Christopher Nolan

'Memento' is the ultimate cinematic brainteaser. Never before have I had to concentrate so intensely on a film than before this little 4.5$ million gem directed by Christopher Nolan. Guy Pierce stars as a memory induced widower seeking revenge on his wife's killer. The only problem is that Pierce's character; Leonard Shelby suffers from a cognitive condition that has him suffer from extreme short-term memory loss called anterograde memory.
Shelby cannot recall anything that happens for more than 10 minutes and therefore tattoos his notes to his body and carries with him Polaroid pictures of those close to him on his route to finding the killer.. The public must be warned though, this is not a conventional Hollywood crime drama. This film is a testament to pure cinema. Here are some tips to decipher and to enjoy the film.
In order for a filmgoer to truly admire this film, one must sit and give this 97-minute 'joy-ride' a chance to unroll before one's very eyes. The film contains several technical elements that quickly differentiate this film from any other film in recent memory. First and foremost, this film regresses before the audience. It starts at the end and works its way backward to the beginning of the plot; along with some black and white crosscut segments that provide subliminal clues to the film's major plot points. This style allows the viewer to actually think in a film instead of basically watching for 'eye-candy'. Furthermore, it is a character driven film that will take a whole lot of concentration to familiarize oneself with these characters. These are not two -dimensional characters but characters that carry this film into a different direction with every scene that transpires before our very eyes.
It also will take at least 15 minutes for the viewer's adaptability to be created for this bold and fundamentally interpretive film. It is certain that not everyone will appreciate and admire this kind of filmmaking, yet it is another 'indie' film that will revolutionize contemporary Hollywood Cinema (Anyone remember Pulp Fiction?) It is by far one of the most confusing, mind-boggling yet thoroughly entertaining films that has crept up on us in recent memory.
Director Christopher Nolan has created a breakthrough film that will require multiple viewings. These viewings will aid the viewer to organize this film in a linear fashion in the viewer's mind in order to decipher the sequence of events that keep us so engaged in this film. I will expand on this point later on, yet I must first also discuss the minute cast that brings this film forward into a different level.
Guy Pierce as aforementioned is a mentally unbalanced widower who can easily be sympathized with (Careful: analyze everything) and 'The Matrix' costars Joe Pantoliano and Carrie-Ann Moss make up this threesome of actors who catapult this film to a must-see category. Pantoliano stars as Teddy, a mysterious friend who seems to pop up at all the right places at the right time. And then there is the lovely and talented Moss who stars as a drug dealer's abused girlfriend turning for help to Shelby. The beauty of these characters is their seemingly simplistic characterizations, yet after a much closer and analytical look - their sheer beauty is in their complexity. View the film and understand what I am attempting to convey. There is definitely 'more than meets the eye'.
If anything, some will be displeased at the final result after all this praise. Yet, I ask this? When was the last time that you viewed a film in which there was no clear-cut conclusion? And without giving too much away, when was the last in a film that the actual perpetrator was not of importance? This is the greatness that is 'Memento' - a film that tackles the inner demons of a man who is seemingly trying so hard to please himself at the expense of others. As mentioned before, this film will be open to debates and discussions for viewings to come concerning its' resolution (or lack thereof); yet keep one point in mind. You can tell this film is so great simply due to the level of excitement and discussion it arises within every avid filmgoer. When was the last time you felt that anxiety through a film?
Giancarlo's Rating: ***