Memento Review Paper

A New Approach To Watching A Film

When most people go to the movies or take in one at home, they watch for entertainment, whatever that genre may be to them. With so many types of movies to entertain us, however, directors, writers and actors must work even harder at making their film stand out from the rest of the films that have flooded both the large and small screens in recent decades. Christopher Nolan’s 2000 film, Memento, uses a complex mixture of elements creating a unique narrative structure setting it apart from other films of the time. However, with such an intense and complicated structure, only those who follow closely and pay attention to the many details will fully be able to enjoy the genius effort that he put into the making of his film.
It is easy to get wrapped up in the everyday monotony of films these days. They meld into each other creating a sort of cinematic stew of chewed up, regurgitated rubbish that has been seen and remade countless times over. So it is quite refreshing when we are shocked by a new concept of viewing a film, such as Memento. It is not the plot that makes the film unique but rather the way that the film was narrated, filmed in sequences that left you questioning and guessing if what you saw happened before, after or not at all. It is this kind of imaginative and inventive filmmaking that allows us to be entertained in the first place and Christopher Nolan does do an amazing job at keeping us guessing, wondering if we have it figured out and questioning it all over again at the very end. Yet with such a complex narrative, it almost feels like the pure entertainment of watching the film is being drained by the constant need to pay such close attention to the way the story plays out.
Some might argue that the point of a film is to relax and to be transported to another place; a fantasy or alternate reality in which you do not need to focus on the mundane or pressing tasks that represent and make up your life. Nolan makes his audience work for every shred of information that is needed to put the pieces together in order to solve the enigma of Lenny and his world. But if watching a film is supposed to be entertaining, where is the entertainment having to work at figuring out such a complex plot? Perhaps Nolan made his film so complex in order for his viewers to find something to think about after the film was over. Even though most of us would not be compared to the same likeness as the characters in Memento, we all have some similar qualities, or at least can put ourselves in the same situation and ask ourselves what we would do. Nolan may have just wanted to show that there are other ways to entertain an audience, without the use of explosions, aliens, massive gore or over the top romance.
The use of a different kind of movie structure or narrative was well thought out and complex. Memento starts at nearly the end of the film, goes in short stints between timelines and has black and white flashbacks. The Characters are flawed and gritty. The locations are seedy at best. There are no A-list actors. What Memento does have is a twisted plot and a director that wanted to keep his audience entertained and guessing. Most people who see a preview for this film would find it intriguing simply because it would have bits and pieces spliced together to make a compelling montage that draws them in. What they would actually get when they watched the movie is an actual experience in film art, where someone used their mind, not computer generated animation or multi-million dollar sets to create a thing of beautiful chaos and intrigue.
The most important aspect of filmmaking is to create something that conveys the message that is trying to reach the audience, whatever it may be. In Christopher Nolan’s case, it may be that we are all conditioned to some extent. Perhaps the entire film is supposed to be an enigma of sorts, leaving the viewer just as confused at the end as they were at the beginning. The details are so small and seemingly insignificant that if you blink you may just miss a key piece of information. What is certain is that Memento does use an incredibly unique narrative that some audiences may find distracting. However, if you choose to see the master that Nolan is at his craft, you will see that a great film does not need to have pretty colors, A-list actors or a big price tag. All that is needed is a person with the unique characteristic to be able to suck the audience into the world that he has created, weather they want to be there or not, and hold them there until he decides that it is over. That is a master filmmaker.



Memento. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantaloon. 2000. DVD. Sony Pictures, 2001.