Christopher Nolan Marathon Part 2 of 7: Film Review: Memento (2000)

In honor of Nolan's upcoming film Inception, I'm reviewing his essential body of work over the course of the next three weeks. Enjoy.

Following (1998) - Monday, June 21st
Memento (2000) – Friday, June 25th

Insomnia (2002) – Monday, June 28th

Batman Begins (2005) – Friday, July 2nd

The Prestige (2006) – Monday, July 5th

The Dark Knight (2008) – Friday, July 9th
Inception - (2010) - Friday, July 16th

(Take your time with this one and think about how clever I am)


Finally, where this film really succeeds is in its re-watchability. Yes, you should be watching it more than once regardless of how well you absorbed Leonard’s journey the first time. You’ll still get a different experience each time. Nolan’s direction stands out after multiple viewings because the viewer can devote less time to following the narrative and take the time to notice the smaller touches that make an already great film even more enjoyable. Perhaps the greatest reward of multiple viewings for me was the confirmation that this whole project wasn’t an overblown gimmick. Usually in mystery stories, unreliable narrator’s can be a cheap trick because you can cheat the audience with a false reality the entire time. However, this character is actually the ultimate unreliable narrator because it’s literally built into the story through the character’s condition. The Anterograde amnesia is another great example of an “anti-gimmick” story because this type of amnesia is a much more controlled disease. It doesn’t create the usual amnesia “anything goes” story that some directors might take advantage of. After spending time with the film it becomes clear that this is an original piece of work in a very predictable genre. It’s Nolan’s best film and is arguably the greatest cult favorite of the previous decade.

Natalie: What's the last thing that you do remember? 
Leonard Shelby: My wife... 
Natalie: That's sweet. 
Leonard Shelby: ...dying. 

One of the best ways to get a handle on Memento is to compare and contrast it to Nolan’s first film Following. Both films could be considered a part of the Neo-Noir genre. Following is a fairly unique take on the noir story but pales in comparison to its younger brother Memento. Both film’s circle around deception (self deception in Memento’s case), end with a twist and have stories that are driven by our old friend Murr-Durr. The main difference in these films is the narrative. While Following a non-linear narrative, Memento’s main story is a perfectly reversed linear narrative. There is also a noticeable jump in quality from Nolan’s debut. Memento has stronger acting, more complex writing and more realized editing. Even the look of Memento is a bit more fun since the film takes place in a glossy Los Angeles and Nolan has added a bit of David Fincher to his style.

Leonard: [running] OK, so what am I doing? 
[sees Dodd also running] 
Leonard: Oh, I'm chasing this guy. 
[Dodd shoots at Leonard] 
Leonard: No... he's chasing me. 

Christopher Nolan’s second film Memento is (kinda) based off his brother’s (Jonathan) short story Memento Mori. Jonathan’s story is much more self contained but still shares many of the same plot elements and themes. Nolan’s film chronicles two separate stories. First is of our narrator Leonard (Pearce), an ex-insurance investigator who can no longer build new memories, as he attempts to find the murderer of his wife, which is the last thing he remembers. This story is told backwards revealing more each time (color with a reverse linear structure). The second story is narrated by Leonard but revolves around an old client of his names Sammy Jenkins (Tobolowsky). This narrative moves forward in time through black and white flashbacks. It’s a bit confusing at first but once you…

Now...where was I?


Grade: A