Harold Pinter famously used the idea of a narrative told backward in the 1983 film Betrayal, based on his play. He told a story of adultery and betrayed friendship, beginning with the sad end and then working his way back through disenchantment to innocence. Pinter s subject was memory and regret and there was irony in the way the characters grew happier in each scene, while the audience s knowledge of what was ahead for them deepened. Nolan s strategy is just the opposite. The audience learns more about the characters as the film continues and begins to question events and motives.
Memento is a diabolical and absorbing experience.
Like Pulp Fiction and The Usual Suspects, this movie will be analyzed and discussed for years to come. For many, it will require a second viewing.