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Memento, 2000

Memento

English

USA

Rating:8.6
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Profile of Memento

Memento can be described as mind bending, clever, and bleak. The plot revolves around memory loss, mistaken identities, and manipulation. The main genres are independent, thriller, and crime. In terms of style, Memento is nonlinear, is neo-noir, and involves twists and turns. In approach, it is serious and realistic. It is located in the USA. Memento takes place in the 1990s. Visually, it is partly black and white. It is derived from a short story. Memento has received attention for being a Sundance Festival winner, a modern classic, and original. Note that it involves drugs/alcohol, profanity, and violent content.

Summary of Memento

MEMENTO, the second feature by writer-director Christopher Nolan (FOLLOWING), is an intricately constructed film noir that masterfully inverts time to comment on the foggy relationship between memory and truth. MEMENTO tells the story of Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a former insurance investigator who witnesses a brutal attack on his wife. Knocked unconscious, Leonard wakes up with a rare brain condition--he no longer possesses short-term memory. He can remember his name and all the details of his past, but he can no longer make new memories. Armed with a careful system of remembering details (he compulsively snaps Polaroids and scribbles notes, then tattoos the important facts directly onto his body), the distraught Leonard goes on a manhunt to avenge his wife's death. To illustrate the unique and frightening state of the protagonist's mind (he cannot remember what happened even seconds before), Nolan takes a brilliantly successful risk in telling the story backwards. The film begins with Leonard killing the man he's looking for. From there MEMENTO unravels a compellingly disconcerting trail back to the start. As the layers of the story are peeled back scene by scene, Leonard's involvement with two enigmatic "friends"--who both claim to be helping him--complicates the mystery.

Based on a short story by the director's brother, Jonathan Nolan, MEMENTO is an incredibly original film that is so wonderfully puzzling and eerily ambiguous that it will surely warrant repeated viewings.

Details

Language: English
Country: USA
Release date: 20 January 2001
Runtime: 113 min

Cast and Crew

Guy Pearce as Leonard in Memento
Guy Pearce

as Leonard

Carrie-Anne Moss as Natalie in Memento
Carrie-Anne Moss

as Natalie

Photos

Guy Pearce as Leonard in Memento (2000)
Guy Pearce as Leonard in Memento (2000)
Joe Pantoliano and Guy Pearce in Memento (2000)
Joe Pantoliano and Guy Pearce in Memento (2000)
Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss in Memento (2000)
Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss in Memento (2000)
Carrie-Anne Moss as Natalie in Memento (2000)
Carrie-Anne Moss as Natalie in Memento (2000)

Clips

Memento
Memento: Theatrical
Memento
Memento: Home Video

Critics Reviews

TV Guide
Enthralling or infuriating.
The New York Times
A brilliant feat of rug-pulling, sure to delight fans of movies like "The Usual Suspects" and "Pi."

Users Reviews

Missing Pieces of This Puzzle
It was so confusing, trying to mentally keep up with the twists and turns of this film - and to top it off it's all backwards! I'm sure Christopher Nolan had a blast messing with the audience's minds this time around. The ending left me so...
Great structure
Love the timeline, starts at the end and ends in the middle. Genius
Likely to see
Not for me

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