Memento (2001)
Grade: A
Cast: Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano, and Carrie-Anne Moss
Director: Christopher Nolan
Rated R for language and violence


In 1997, Kasi Lemmons' auspicious debut feature "Eve's Bayou" began with the words: "Memory is a selection of images, some forgotten, some printed indelibly on the brain." For that film, the words rang true. Now, in 2001, they ring true again in Christopher Nolan's second feature, "Memento."

A white suit with a blue shirt. A dark, dingy motel room. The key to a new Jaguar convertible on the nightstand next to you. A map of the city on the wall. Photographs everywhere. Tattoos all over your body. You don't know what any of it means. You wake up in the middle of a ratty bed. You don't know where you are and, most importantly, why you're there. All you can remember is that your wife was killed. She was raped and murdered by a man mysteriously called "John G." You're trying to find him, and your tattoos hold the clues.

A shady friend who is trying to help you. Teddy. An icy bar-maid who may or may not be using you, you can't remember. Natalie. These are the two most important people in your life right now. You have to pretty much believe everything they say. Why? Well, it's quite simple, actually. When you were trying to stop your wife's attacker, you were clubbed over the head and suffered short term memory loss, permanently. You can't remember anything that has happened after the attack.

To combat this, you take polaroids of everything, scribbling notes on the bottom. Important stuff. Stuff about Teddy. Stuff about Natalie. Locations of certain places. This is how you live your life. You have tattoos that tell you to shave. You don't remember anybody except for the people in the pictures.

And so goes the plight of our protagonist, Leonard Shelby (Pearce) in Memento, a dizzying psychological thriller with a gimmick. As his story unfolds, we realize that it started at the end and is working its way back to the beginning of the story. At the end of the film, we find out how he obtained his Jag and his suit. We learn the motives of a certain femme fatale. We figure out what Teddy was up to. Yes, the movie is backwards. Yes, you may become confused. Let me explain the structure to you: you watch a 3-8 minute scene, and then it cuts back, and shows you another 3-8 minute scene. The end of the second scene is the beginning of the first scene. It's very complicated and very well executed.

The editing by Doddy Dorn is a high point for the film. The backwards segments are interspersed with black and white scenes that move forward, starting at an unspecified moment in time. Keeping each story straight is an impressive feat, and at the end of the film we are replaying it in our minds to try and see exactly what happened. It's questionable whether the film would have been just as effective had it been in chronological order or whether it would be so critically acclaimed. I'd have to say that the backwards gimmick really pays off for this film. It's decipherable and you can pretty much figure things out on your own. In fact, the film makes you figure things out on your own. This is a thinking person's movie.

The acting from the three leads is incredible. The trio's best performance is Guy Pearce though. First breaking on to the scene back in 1997's "L.A. Confidential" he finally comes back for a repeat great performance. There he was overshadowed by Russel Crowe and Kim Basinger, but here, it's his show. He understands the character, first and foremost. It's not easy to play someone who has such a disability, so that makes his outing here all the more impressive. Carrie-Anne Moss breaks away from the "Matrix"-chick mold that she could have been pigeonholed in to, and fleshes out her character. Joe Pantoliano is one part trustworthy, and equal parts slimy, wormy, and creepy.

Christopher Nolan shows a great knack for keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. Take, for instance, a simple scene where Leonard needs a pen. He's at Natalie's place, and he simply cannot find one. He runs frantically around, searching, to no avail. This moment is hightened by a superb musical score and erratic camerawork. That's the most exciting and dramatic scene I have ever viewed about a guy looking for a pen.

For all involved, this little film sure is something to be proud of.


-Brian Jones, July 2002