Memento is a 2000 thriller about a man who juggles searching for his wife’s murderer and keeping his short-term memory loss from being an obstacle.
Some films just become what everyone is talking about around the water cooler per se, and it seems that Christopher Nolan has made a career out of making sure all his movies are such. However, it was this early mind-bender starring Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss that kicked that game off in this clever and still very challenging film. A man name Leonard (Pearce) has anterograde amnesia, meaning he can’t store short term memories, so he tries to keep track of his life with notes, Polaroids, and tattoos, mostly because he’s trying to solve the rape and murder of his wife, whom he believes involves two attackers, not one as the police suspect. During this, he meets a waitress named Natalie (Moss) and a contact named Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), both of whom seem hard to trust, Leonard’s clues ambiguous and sometimes confusing. A truly original and chilling story told backwards with that Nolan flare, this is a must watch.
THE LAST WORD
A terrific mystery with some outstanding direction that keeps a dozen plates spinning, this is great fun for those who like to try and figure things out before the end.
It’s non-linear and stylistic approach means you’ve got to pay attention the whole way through. If you’re looking for a breezy night at the movies, move on.