"Memento"
is one of the more anticipated films this year because it gives
a typical murder mystery a unique and complicated twist.
It’s "The Limey" meets "Groundhog Day."
Leonard Shelby (played by Guy Pearce) is suffering from
short-term memory loss, which means that he cannot make new
memory. He forgets where he is, whom he is talking to and
why he is talking to them in the first place. This makes
it especially difficult for Leonard since he is trying to catch
his wife’s killer. It’s hard enough for him to
remember what is going on presently, let alone remember all the
facts, details and names he comes across during his
investigation. To help him focus on his manhunt, he uses
his tattooed body and Polaroid’s... mementos if you may.
There are a couple of key characters that pop-up during the
course of his detective work. There is Teddy (Joe
Pantoliano), a seemingly duplicitous character that Leonard
learns not to trust. Then there is Natalie (Carrie-Anne
Moss), a bartender who acts like a victim, but who may be just
taking advantage of Leonard for her own selfish reasons.
Leonard tries to sort out the truths from the lies and attempts
to make sense of everything, but all he wants to do is avenge
his wife’s death.
What makes "Memento" unique is the way the story unfolds,
for it is told in reverse. We get to see the after
effects, and then we see why it happened right after. The
film is sort of like that backwards "Seinfeld" episode,
except this one lasts for two hours and there’s hardly
anything to laugh about. It took me about 15 to 20 minutes
before I got used to the film’s structure, and by the end of
the movie I really appreciated what it has done.
The reverse story telling worked quite remarkably, and the film
proved to be entertaining, although it does get quite
complicated. Every detail becomes important, so make sure
that you go to the bathroom before the movie starts. Guy
Pearce does a great job and successfully carries the film. My only qualm is that the ending was not completely satisfying. I felt short-changed after all the effort expended in trying to
figure out what was going on.
Overall, "Memento" is a good film and should not be missed.
