30 Second Bottom Line: A widower searches for the man who raped and killed his wife. He was attacked by the killer and suffered a brain injury, which limits his retention of new memories to no longer than fifteen minutes.
Story Line: Memento is a well-written, brilliantly directed and intelligently acted thriller, like The Usual Suspects, The Sixth Sense and even Pulp Fiction, with its secrets, complex plot and storyline that turns in on itself.
Guy Pearce portrays Leonard Shelby, an ex-insurance investigator who is determined to find out who raped and killed his wife (Jorja Fox) and left him with a serious head injury. Leonard suffers from an ailment called anterograde memory dysfunction (AMD), which means he can remember everything he knew before the event; in this case the attack. Having AMD means that his short-term memory is only good for about fifteen minutes. By the way, this is a real disease, albeit rare.
So that he can put together the pieces of the crime, he resorts to writing notes to himself, taking Polaroid pictures, to keep track of people he meets, and tattooing his body with the most vital pieces of information regarding the killer's identity. Leonard has to work on even the simplest detail such as trying to remember which car in a parking lot is actually his, to the more complex tasks of knowing which people are his friends and which only pretend to be. As he unravels the connections, Leonard compiles information about each person and adds it to the bottom of the Polaroid pictures he keeps with him at all times.
The story begins at the end and works toward the beginning. It is complex and the writer/director, Christopher Nolan says "I have a lot of faith in audiences if they're presented with something more interesting, or a bit more challenging." He's made a film that you can enjoy the first time you see it and get an even bigger thrill from in subsequent viewings. Many films are hardly worth seeing once; the thought of multiple times is an intriguing concept.
As Leonard travels back in time, we constantly learn, as he does, who did what to whom. Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) tells him that her boyfriend Jimmy (Larry Holden) beat her up. We later learn exactly when, why and how she suffered her injuries. Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) appears to be a friend, yet information that Natalie provides to Leonard suggests he's just the kind of friend you never want to have.
Tell Me More About It: The film has a deliberately ambiguous ending (which remember is actually where it all began) that leaves us feeling about Memento like we did about The Sixth Sense…we have to see it again. Memento is more complex than Sense and not having a major name star like Bruce Willis, it will not be released in 2,500 theaters and do $30 million on opening weekend. So if your interest has been raised, I urge you to go see this as soon as it opens, even if you have to drive an hour to get there.
It does have star power in Carrie-Anne Moss, whom you will remember from Chocolat, The Matrix and Red Planet. Guy Pearce you may recall from L.A. Confidential and a smaller role in Rules of Engagement. It's also an indie film that was shot for under $5 million in only 25 ½ days. You'll get a kick out of recognizable faces from two popular TV shows, Pantoliano from The Sopranos and Fox from C.S.I.
I am reminded of Time Code, which, although not a mystery, has so many things going on at one time, that you are on the edge of your seat every moment trying to keep up with the action. Memento is a real brain twister, and some might suggest, it's more complex than it needs to be. For sure, it will never be accused of using a dumbed-downed approach to speak to its audience. Carrie-Anne Moss says "I've seen the movie about five times, and each time I feel differently about what it's about." Clearly this is a film for those who like murder mysteries and enjoy being challenged. It's one of the few films I'm reluctant to assign a rating to after seeing it only one time because when I see it again, which I will because I want to, I might raise or lower it.
When we think of horror films, it tends to be slasher flicks. However, reflect a moment and real horror is the onset of insanity…of not being able to believe what you see, hear, or what your brain processes…is it real or not? You'll find out when you see the film.
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