Memento: Psychological Brillance

Rating: Null/10 (29 May 2003)

Who can honestly say how good their memory is? I know I can't, which is what I loved about Memento.
Premise: A young, former insurance investigator is searching for the men who raped and murdered his wife.
Here's the snag though. He has no short term memory and thus can't make new memories. People he's met and places he been vanish in a blink after 20 or so minutes. He has to constantly remind people of who he is, tells the same story of Sammy Jenkis over and over again, doesn't like to talk on the phone (he likes to look people in the face when he talks to them), takes photos and jots down who or what they are, has tattoo's all over his body as clues to finding his wife's rapist and killer. I could go on, but you get the point. It's a remarkably interesting structure to be taken through.
Remember I said I couldn't rely on my memory a great deal and how that's what I loved about Memento? That's what made the film so incredible was the premise that memory is not 100% reliable. I loved being taken on a ride during this movie where I was confused as hell, lol. It was so much fun to have to force my brain to work harder at thinking about what was going on in this film. I left the theatre baffled as to what and how things had happened, but at the same time I couldn't stop thinking about the film.
The acting in this film is beyond superb. The editing and photography is even better. The best part: the film starts at the end and works it way to a middle point. Noticed I didn't say beginning? That's because when the film comes to it's end you really don't know if it's the beginning since you don't know what Leonard (Guy Pierce) did before arriving at an isolated place. This film can really be seen as remniscent of the film style of Film Noir. It uses black and white scenes to give that off as well as the characters in the film constantly sucking Leonard further down into this world where he has no idea who and what to believe, including himself and the things he's done. Not only that but all the characters, yes even Leonard who is our protagonist, has a dark side of human nature to them. And that's what Film Noir is, exposing the dark side of human nature. The film has such a great Psychological deepness and by all means breaks the conventional art that goes into filmmaking. It really was a shame this film wasn't nominated for best picture. It greatly deserved that award and Nolan greatly deserved best director.