Intriguing and Refreshing Movie Going Experience

Rating: 10/10 (14 May 2001)

Memento is one of the most original and gripping films I've seen in a long time. Although there is nothing really original about the actual story, a man seeking revenge for the murder of his wife, the presentation is truly phenomenal. Guy Pearce, plays Leonard Shelby, a man suffering from short term memory loss after being hit on the head, trying to save his wife. Although he remembers everything before the accident, he can only remember things for about 15 minutes at a time afterwards, so he keeps the clues through a series of polaroids, notes and tattoos. The film is told in a series of segments, starting at the end and moving back to the beginning, with a wraparound scene in between each segment. By telling the story like this, it effectively places the audience in Leonard's shoes, we can see what's happening and know what's going to happen, but we don't know what led up to it, just as Leonard doesn't know. The film sports great performances from Pearce, Joe Pantoliano as Teddy, the shady character that could be a friend or foe and Carrie-Anne Moss as Natalie, who seems to want to help Leonard. All in all this is a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, not wondering what's going to happen next, but what happened before. This film is a true gem and definitely requires more than one viewing. ****