Memento

Memento

        Memory has played a major role in several great works of literature:
if Proust didn't have his madeleines, he might not have written his master
work A la recherche du temps perdu. There are other great dramas like
Tennessee Williams' THE GLASS MENAGERIE and Eugene O'Neill's
LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT that are classified as "memory"
plays. But what exactly is "memory"? Can it be trusted? Research indicates
that eyewitness testimony can be spotty regarding some details. What if
you have a "condition" like anterograde amnesia which can be brought
about by a physical trauma that results in loss of consciousness. That's
the situation for Leonard Shelby (well-played by Guy Pearce), a former
insurance investigator now trying to track down the man who raped and
murdered his wife and left him with a brain injury, in the terrific thriller
MEMENTO, written and directed by Christopher Nolan.

        One of the most original and intriguing films in years, MEMENTO
sets the bar for any future releases this year. It is doubtful that one will
find another movie as richly complex or satisfyingly entertaining as this
one. Nolan has not succumbed to the so-called "sophomore slump";
indeed this second feature builds on the nonlinear style that is becoming
his signature. Adapting a short story by his younger brother Jonathan,
he has crafted a modern film noir with all the genre's major elements:
shady characters, a flawed central figure, the tough dame who may or
may not be what she appears, and criminal activity.

        Although it opened in Europe in 2000, the movie screened at the 2001
Sundance Film Festival where it picked up the Waldo Salt Award for
Screenwriting and has now made its way to theaters. Nolan has taken what
could seem like a gimmick -- the story unfolds in reverse chronology -- and
made it work (just as Harold Pinter did with Betrayal). From the opening
images of MEMENTO, a gun shot in reverse, a Polaroid undeveloping and
jumping back into the camera, Nolan cleverly sets up the tone and action.
We are starting at the end of the story, or are we? Because the hero cannot
form new memories -- he literally cannot remember anything said to him
after 15 or 20 minutes -- the audience enters into his story and immediately
bonds with him. We are as confused as he is and are at a loss as to who
to trust. Only gradually, as Leonard's story unfolds does the audience gain
insight into those people around him and whether or not they are exploiting
his "condition".

        Pearce, who has already proven his versatility playing a bitchy
drag queen in THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
  to the straight-arrow cop Ed Exley in L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, once again
displays his prodigious gifts. Virtually onscreen for nearly the entire film,
he is nothing short of amazing, conveying the character's mistrust, his
guile, his confusion.

        Leonard has been befriended by two people in this new town, a sexy
bartender named Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Teddy (Joe Pantoliano),
a weaselly guy who may or may not be mixed up with something criminal.
In order to compensate for his handicap, Leonard has developed a set of
conditioning tools, like taking Polaroids and writing notes on them. So if
needs to identify his car, for instance, or the motel at which he's staying,
he shuffles through a stack of photos. For Teddy, he has noted "Do not
believe his lies" while for Natalie, he has written, "She has lost someone
too. She will help you out of pity", although there is ominously something
else that had been crossed out. Leonard has also taken the extreme
measure of having various messages tattooed onto his body, like
"John G raped and killed my wife" across his chest (and backwards so
he can read it in the mirror) to various "facts" like, "drug dealer" or a
license plate number.

        Once one adjusts to its unusual structure, MEMENTO provides
several pleasures. For those who enjoy mysteries and puzzles, the film
poses fascinating questions to which there are no easy answers. Those
who are fans of films noir will appreciate the nods to various movies in
that genre while those who enjoy more experimental work can appreciate
Nolan's screenplay, which at first may seem gimmicky, but, on closer
inspection, is actually dense, literate and thought-provoking, raising
issues of the nature and formation of memory, what constitutes one's
identity, how do humans learn to trust, and, ultimately, what the price
of revenge costs.

        While in many ways the screenplay and Nolan's fluid direction are
paramount, the acting bolsters the central premise. After stumbling a bit
with his turn as a prosecutor in RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, Guy Pearce
offers a commanding performance as Leonard. Familiar enough to audiences
but not too recognizable a face, Pearce is perfectly suited to the role and
delivers some of his best work, dominating but not overpowering the story.
Joe Pantoliano nicely plays off the squirrelly bad guy persona (i.e., RISKY
  BUSINESS, THE MATRIX) he has built up over the last twenty-odd years.
Carrie-Anne Moss continues to impress as the mysterious bartender,
projecting the same mix of strength, sensuality and helplessness that
such actresses as Barbara Stanwyck, Jane Greer and Mary Astor have in
the past. There's also nice character work from Mark Boone Junior as a
motel manager, and Stephen Tobolowsky and Harriet Sansom Harris
as a married couple whom Leonard once investigated and whose story
runs parallel to his own.

        MEMENTO is that rare motion picture that offers a bevy of riches to
the audience. It is also the kind of movie that deepens on closer inspection,
while multiple viewings are almost required to fully appreciate all it has
to offer.

                        Rating:                A -
                        MPAA Rating:       R for violence, language and some
                                                         drug content