Memento

Memento (2001)

Rating: **** Out of 5

Drama. 2 hrs. 00 min.
Rated R for violence, language and some drug content.

Starring: Mark Junior Boone, Harriet Harris, Jorja Fox, Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano.

Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Produced by Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd, Aaron Ryder, William Tyrer and Chris J. Ball.
Written by Christopher Nolan.

Distributor: Newmarket Film Group More Credits

Release Date: January 19, 2001 Sundance '01; March 16, 2001 LA/NY; March 30, 2001 Nationwide

Synopsis

In MEMENTO, a man and his wife are attacked and robbed. The woman dies, and the man is left with both a serious head injury that gives him memory loss, and an urgent thirst for revenge. As he sets off in pursuit of his wife's killer, he becomes increasingly confused about what he is doing, so he tattoos notes onto his skin and takes Polaroid pictures to remind himself of what has transposed. An intricate mystery with a backwards chronology, MEMENTO is written and directed by Christopher Nolan, based on a short story by his brother, Jonathan Nolan.

Bill's Comments

This is something truly DIFFERENT! The concept is different, in that the main character has NO short term memory. He has no capacity to form new memories. Thus, anyone he meets, talks to, or interacts with is out of his mind forever within 10 minutes. He contracted this ailment as part of a brutal assault on both his wife and himself prior to the timeline of the movie.

The movie uses a very creative way of telling the story by showing the last scene at the beginning of the movie and then working backward, a scene at a time. Initially, this is confusing, but as the movie progresses, you really get into it. I was a little disappointed with the ending, but that still couldn't stop me from applauding the creativity of the effort.

This is not light entertainment. You have to work to follow the story and figure out what's going on. But it's worth it!