investigator and crime victim who is trying to find the man who raped and
murdered his wife. His goal is simple - he wants revenge. Nothing less
will satisfy him. But's there a small complication; Leonard has a
condition. During the attack that ended his wife's life, Leonard
suffered brain damage. Now, although his long-term memory is fine, he
can't remember recent events. He can meet the same person a hundred
times and won't know their name or who they are. To combat this
condition Leonard must stay focused and leave himself notes or
'mementos'. Along the way, Leonard is aided (or perhaps hindered) by the
ubiquitous Teddy (Joe Palantonio), who is always on hand to offer advice,
and he becomes involved with the mysterious Natalie (Carrie-Ann Moss),
whose motives may not be as straightforward as they initially appear to be.
Memento doesn't stop with a great premise. In fact, what really
distinguishes this film is its brilliant, innovative structure. The
story is told backward, in a series of three-to-eight minute segments,
each of which ends where the previous one began. A second thread, which
starts at some unspecified time in the past and moves forward to intersect
with the main storyline, is used to buffer the "reverse" segments and
provide background information. This approach is very inventive and
manages to be involving instead of confusing as it works with the
material. By presenting events backwards, Mememto allows us to get into
the mindset of the main character. Like Leonard, we have no clear
indication of what happened before the currect segment of time. We know
some things from the past, but not the recent past. Like him, we are
presented with a number of cryptic clues and the audience must also
determine which clues are more important than others. The movie allows
the audience to weigh the facts, make their own intrepations. Memento
doesn't try to wrap up the ending into a tidy, neat little package. It
allows the audience to interpret the backstory; it's possible for two
people to have a completely different memory of the film.
Lead actor Guy Pearce gives an astounding performance as a man struggling
to avoid being manipulated in a world where he can easily become anyone's
pawn. It's a tight, thoroughly convincing performance. Able support is
provided by Carrie-Ann Moss and character actor Joe Pantoliano. But the
real star is director Christopher Nolan who pieced together a masterfull
thriller in a very labyrinthine manner.
Memento is very much concerned with all aspects of memory, especially the
manipulation of it, and this endlessly fascinating, wonderfully
open-ended motion picture will be remembered by many who see it as one of
the best films of the year.
Review: 4 (of 4) stars