Memento is a Mystery/Thriller directed by Christopher Nolan.
It follows the story of Leonard, who has a short-term memory loss, and can't make new memories. This was caused by a break-in at his house, where his wife was also raped and murdered. Leonard has been chasing the guy who did it, but because of his memory he can't remember anything for long periods of time.
To remember things he writes down information on polaroids, and tattoos his skin to make sure he remembers people/places/things he was doing.
Scenes from Memento (2000), Leonard has found a man in his closet but doesn't know who he is or why he's there. He reads the polaroid pictures to try and find out what happened.
He convinces himself that he's disciplined enough to find vengeance, but instead has purposefully been creating a mystery he can never solve because he's already solved it (but forgot that he did).
Narrative:
The film has a non-linear narrative, with two storylines happening at the same time; one moving forwards (a black and white progression, using an objective view showing Leonard on the phone telling a story, we don't see what's going on inside his mind) and the other moving backwards, allowing us to follow Leonards perspective. Towards the end of the film, the scenes end up merging together to recreate the first shot of the film.
This narrative makes the film out of order and somewhat confusing to follow and piece together, to show what it's like inside the mind of a brain damaged person, and allows us to feel that we’re in the same state of mind as the protagonist, despite him having memory loss, and the audience not.
Scene from Memento (2000), both storylines merge into one.
Protagonist-centred morality- the assumption that a films protagonist is the ‘good guy’.
In Memento’s case, it’s Leonard, and because of this we find ourselves boundlessly suspicious of other and redeeming with Leonard. We also sweep the idea that he is an unreliable narrator, and someone who’s slowly turning into a serial killer as the narrative moves on.
It’s interesting how Nolan immediately makes us trust the most untrustworthy person in the room, simply because he is the protagonist. Leonards untrustworthiness is of course as a result of his condition, but more fundamentally, it’s due to a loss of identity. (i will be making a separate blog post about the link between identity and memory)
Flashbacks and Narrated Memories:
Nolan uses flashbacks throughout the coloured storyline, as Leonard starts to remember certain moments/memories in the past, to help him put together his investigation into who killed his wife.
During the black and white storyline however, it shows Leonard telling someone on the phone a story about Sammy Jankis. It is a Narrated Memory, and Nolan uses a combination of simple telling in words and then shifting to flashback of the events he is telling about, which are accompanied by Leonard’s voice-overs. The flashbacks are a simulation of Leonard’s words.
Scene from Memento (2000), Leonard is telling Teddy he is relying on facts and not memories to get him through his 'investigation'.
'Memories can be distorted, they are an interpretation, not a record. They're irrelevant if you don't have the facts' - A quote from Lenny in the film.
^i liked this quote in the film because it is so true. Even when we correctly rely on our memories, they can be highly inaccurate or outright false. This is because remembering is a highly reconstructive process that depends on knowledge, self-image, need sand goals. Which is why, even with the assistance of photos, we’re likely to interpret the photos based on what we imagine is happening rather than what is happening.
Picking and choosing memories is normal, guided by self enhancing biases necessary for self-worth.
This film links to our new Memento project well, as Leonard's polaroids and tattoos are a memento of his memories and progress through his 'investigation'.
Below is the notes i made while watching the film.
References:
Goldberg, M (2022), Collider, Why ‘Memento’ Remains Christopher Nolan’s Best Movie About Self-Deception, Available at: https://collider.com/memento-movie-explained/ (Accessed 27/1/22)
Hartzog, Narrative Techniques in the B & W segments 1-22, Available at: http://hartzog.org/j/mementobwtechniques.html (Accessed 27/1/22)
FilmComicsExplained (2021), How Memories Betray us | The Meaning and Philosophy of MEMENTO, Youtube, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPnQw9Amjv4 (Accessed 27/1/22)
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