A virtual jigsaw puzzle for the imagination!

Rating: Null/10 (4 December 2001)

"Memento"--remembrances-souvenirs-keepsakes--of a lost loved wife, of a lost way of life, of life taken violently. This is what we viewers experience in our walk with Lennie ("Call me Leonard.") Shelby. This seemingly average man has complete recall of his life prior to a head injury, but has lost the ability to remember what happened 5 minutes ago. ("I have this condition...")
I have lost count of the times I have watched "Memento"--(is short-term memory loss contagious?) As a movie lover I have used oh so many descriptive words to express my reactions to movies. NEVER have I called a moving AMAZING--not until I saw this movie.
Confession: I was baffled the first time I saw it. Then it became a challenge--determination to untangle the plot web. Watching it again and again, I have found more and more 'reveals' each time--messages in dialogue and images leading up to the surprise ending. Just this past weekend I discovered a split-second image--blink and you would miss it. But there it was, and had been all along.
One aspect I find very effective: Shelby speaks in a soft, calm, lulling voice as he walks through his experiences--a seeming core of serenity in the midst of mental chaos, the eye of the hurricane. Or is he the hurricane?
Fair warning: If you stay with it long enough to see beneath the surface, this movie can be habit-forming.
Enjoy!