- Starring
- Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
- Writer
- Christopher Nolan
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Rating
- R (United States)
- Running Time
- 113 minutes
Overall Score
Rating Summary
Memento is one of those films that came out of nowhere, becoming one of the most talked about movies of the year with good reason. Its enticing editing demanded our constant attention and it turns a regular story into very powerful storytelling.
The story of Memento is quite simple: Leonard (Pearce) lost his wife in a home invasion that left her dead and him the loss of his short-term memory. He just can’t hold any new memories after the incident and his brain constantly reboots every few seconds. Leonard has only one goal in life: to find the man who killed the love of his life and left him impaired. To take control over his condition, Leonard tattooed his body with the most important information related to his mission; the name of the killer, the facts of his condition and a few other details. He also kept polaroids and registered places and people he needs to recognize and trust , or not. Of of those people is Teddy (Pantoliano), a guy who’s always around him. There is another person in his life: Natalie (Moss) a waitress who helps him but seems to know more than what she’s letting on. Leonard’s relationship with these two people drive him to his answers and to parallel stories that are all interconnected.
The biggest star of Memento however was its editing: few times in the history of film editing was such a principal player in the storytelling, and it’s the intelligence in which this story was told backwards that turns it into an unforgettable journey. Every time we go back in time, new information is presented or a new interpretation of events, showing how smart the script truly is. At its core, the film has a very simple story but it being told from beginning to end takes us out of the comfort zone, demands our constant attention, and gives us so many surprises. In the end, this is that type of film that you need to pay attention to every single moment, or you’ll lose a lot of the flavor.
The case of Memento all bring their A-game here. Pearce balances fury with desperation pretty well, and that is one of the triumphs of this film: with all the tricks in the storytelling, what makes this movie stands out is the character development. Leonard is a complicated character, and the pain he’s feeling for the loss of his wife gives the story a lot of gravitas. In time we see more, and we notice he is also hiding information from us. He is far more complicated than just a man looking for justice. And in the end (or is it the beginning?) when we put all the pieces of the puzzle together, it’s very satisfying. Meanwhile, Pantoliano is fine as Teddy, and Moss is fantastic as her femme fatale. Natalie is enigmatic and mysterious, but one can sense she also cares for Leonard. She falls in love with him, and she is haunted by her choices, but mostly by the fact that Leonard will never forget his beloved wife , and that understanding, so clear to her and to all of us, kills her.
At the end of the day, Memento is an enticing and very, very entertaining film. A must-watch, for sure.
*still courtesy of Summit Entertainment*
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