Memento (2000) Review

 

Memento (2000)

I bought this years ago, but finally got around to watching this debut from Christopher Nolan.

Memento is about Leonard, a man who suffers from short term memory loss after the death of his wife, meaning he can’t make new memories. All the while, he leaves himself notes and takes pictures to unravel the mystery behind who killed his wife.

So what makes Memento so unique, is it’s told in reverse, to confuse the viewers just like Lenny as he tries to figure things out. It starts with the ending, backtracking to the beginning, but also creating a riveting twist that will leave you so confused, even after trying to rationalize, creating a story with so many twists and turns that will leave you unable to trust your own mind, let alone the mind of the characters.

Guy Pierce as Leonard is phenomenal, as he plays a man with short term memory loss so well. He’s believable, with his reactions and repetition, and with the way the movie is framed, it makes his resets unique and all so different. The Matrix alums Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano also shine excellently, as you truly go back and forth on how you feel about each. Like I said, the framing is done so well to frame each as the culprit, while also bouncing around to throw you off, akin to Scream, which came out 4 years earlier.

Above all else, the ending (!!!!), where it obviously climax’s and leads into the rest of the story. Leonard's explanation of events, while also manipulating his own mind to then cause the events of the film is terrific and you definitely don’t expect it. Such a mind-bending film, a troupe Nolan has become known for, especially with his upcoming film Tenet, but this being the start of it all. Definitely another one of those films that needs repeat viewings just to even slightly understand it.

9.3/10