Film critique (film school credit)

Rating: 10/10 (25 April 2018)

Memento is a mystery thriller which follows the perspective of the protagonist Leonard Shelby, who is looking for revenge against the people who murdered his wife. During the attack on his wife Leonard suffered an injury resulting in a rare medical condition that does not allow his brain to produce any new short term memory. Other than the memories he has retained before his accident everything else seems to fade over a short period of time, and that produces one of the most entertaining principles in which Leonard's journey is presented throughout this film.
The story of this film is told on screen in reverse chronological order which may appear as a tacked on gimmick in hopes of receiving more buzz or viewers, however in this case the nonlinear narrative more than just a gimmick in which the story is told but in fact the designing principle of the film and fundamentally adds to the already robust narrative. By developing the story in this style fully immerses the audience to feel the same confusion the protagonist feels throughout the film. This compels the audience to remain engaged to solve answers to the questions director Christopher Nolan expertly stages in every scene of this film, by doing this the director rewards the tedious audience member paying attention to the minor details and subtext within every scene.
Christopher Nolan has indeed mastered the non linear storytelling, if this feat is not executed correctly this can create a very confusing and discombobulating narrative for the audience. However in this circumstance and with many other Nolan films he's accomplished this non linear story masterfully.
Another entertaining concept of the movie is the use of colour and black and white scenes. The colour scenes follow the protagonist Leonard Shelby on his current dilema living with his condition and hunting his wife's killer. The Black and white scenes primarily show Leonard speaking on a telephone to a mysterious caller and flashbacks of his life and career experiences that molded him into the character we see in the present colour scenes. Contrasting these reverse chronological colour scenes to the normal chronological black and white scenes gives an amazing perspective to the entire character arc of Leonard Shelby.
Memento holds a very high entertainment and rewatchable value, and with each view and careful attention the viewer may pick up new details to each scene. Memento gives a fresh unique outlook on the common revenge tale told in many many Hollywood films and is a must own in any film library.