9 of 10
Cinematography by Wally Pfister
Guy Pearce
Carrie-Anne Moss
Joe Pantoliano
Stephen Tobolowsky
"We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different."
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| Memento 9 of 10 |
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| Directed by Christopher Nolan Cinematography by Wally Pfister Guy Pearce Carrie-Anne Moss Joe Pantoliano Stephen Tobolowsky |
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| Let's be completely honest from the beginning. This is a gimmick movie, there's no doubt about it. But what a gimmick! Christopher Nolan directs a script based on a short story written by his brother, Jonathan. It is about Leonard Shelby, a man who is unable to create short-term memories, and who is searching for his wife's killer. The gimmick comes in when one realizes that there are two separate threads to the movie: one in color, and one in black and white. The scenes in color run from the end of the movie, and the scenes in black and white run from the beginning. The effect of this is to place the audience in a situation very similar to that of Leonard Shelby himself: they never know quite how the scene they just finished watching fits in with the story. Every new scene forces the viewer to reconsider what just came before, and the suspense is never-ending. Nolan holds everything together admirably, keeping the tension high and maintaining an amazing consistency despite the strangeness of the method. Joe Pantoliano is excellent as the policeman trying to help Shelby figure out exactly who he is chasing, and Carri-Anne Moss is superb as his rescuer/friend/enemy/lover/manipulator/temptress. But Guy Pierce definitely steals the show in this one. The only way such a script could have any hope for success is through a completely convincing performance from the lead character. And Pierce is devastatingly convincing. Time and again, the conclusion of a scene will leave the audience disturbed or disgusted by something Shelby has done, only to feel that everything begins afresh at the start of the next scene. Pierce projects an incredible feeling of innocence at the beginning of every section, and gives a truly amazing performance. There is one moment where he is desperately searching for a pen, so he can scribble down something that just happened before his memory deserts him. He becomes more and more agitated as the moments tick by, knowing that he is only seconds away from complete blankness. Suddenly, he grows peaceful, but the audience is left with the exact opposite feeling; a truly heart-wrenching moment in a film that is filled with them. It is certainly difficult to watch at times, but is very much worth the effort. "We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different." |
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