Write yourself a note: "See Memento"

Rating: 10/10 (25 April 2001)

`Memento' is the first film of 2001 that matters. Hopefully it won't be the last. It's about a guy who loses his short-term memory after sustaining a head injury trying to prevent his wife's murder. He remembers who he is, his entire life before it happened. His lone objective is to find the man responsible for the last new memory he ever made: the death of his wife. He believes he can do this because memory is unreliable anyway. The facts are not. In order to continue knowing the facts, he writes himself notes. He writes notes on Polaroid photos. He has some of these notes made into tatoos (and you thought your mom was bad for leaving those annoying reminder notes all over the house).
The film's subject is memory, but it also proves to be a monumental test of the audience's memory. Mr. Nolan takes conventional film storytelling apart in a way no one has ever seen. In doing so he breathes new life into the entire film medium. `Memento' is any dedicated film-goer's Ultimate Challenge. Anyone who fully grasps everything that goes on in this thing on first viewing deserves the Handsome Reward. Don't plan on propping up your feet and relaxing if you go see this. Prepare to actually use your noggin or come away lost.
Beginning a film at the end is a convention that's almost over-used by directors these days, but never has a film begun at the last scene, then the next to the last scene, and on and on. The final scene is the very beginning of the story. You ask, well where's the suspense then? Just see it. Nolan isn't just trying to be clever either (but ends up being very VERY clever anyway). Telling it backwards is his way of putting us in Leonard's head. Any time a scene begins, we have no idea what's going on (again, not new to the film medium). We have to figure it out as it goes, the same way Leonard Shelby (`L.A. Confidential's Guy Pearce) has to.
For two hours the film gets more and more captivating, but also more and more mentally taxing. It's a real test of a person's capacity to pay attention to details and, well, to remember things. Not everyone is going to be looking for this kind of experience in the movie they bought a ticket for, which is fine. But I think anyone (except children of course) can get something out of it.
The story Nolan just happens to tell backwards isn't any more complex than a good thriller should be, that is, after your mind takes it apart and reconstructs it. This will be a must-own DVD when it comes out. At least then I'll have the option, just once, of starting at the end and watching it in chronological order by the miracle of the back' and next' buttons. By then I'm sure I'll have seen it a few more times.
Grade: A