Welcome back to another Monday Movie! Today, we’re talking about one of Christopher Nolan’s earliest films: 2000’s Memento starring Guy Pearce. I had not seen Memento before, though it’s been on my radar for a long time. I’ve been a fan of Christopher Nolan’s movies for a long time too, and Memento really held up to my high expectations for him—especially impressive considering how early this movie occurs in his filmography.
Memento’s plot had me hooked from the very beginning. Without spoiling much, the basic premise is that a man (named Leonard) is seeking to avenge his wife’s death, but he has a psychological condition where he can’t remember anything for longer than a few minutes.
Christopher Nolan loves nonlinear storytelling (see, for example, The Prestige, Dunkirk, Oppenheimer, etc.) and this film is no exception. The entire movie moves backwards from scene to scene, meaning the audience knew how the story “ended” before any other details. In the hands of another director or writer, this could easily be extremely confusing and disorienting, but in Memento the reversed sequence of events is well-executed and even engrossing. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to piece things together and catch every detail.
One of the incredible things about this movie is that you don’t know what to think about the characters throughout. The main character’s condition makes for an inherent unreliable narrator effect—one that’s particularly fascinating because the plot is so inescapably unreliable even to the narrator himself.
Because of that, I found it impossible to decide what to think of any character until all the pieces fell into place—and even then, I wasn’t completely sure what to think!
The whole plot is built around Leonard’s unique condition, making him easily the most interesting character, especially since many of the more interesting aspects of the plot are an extension of his character.
Memento’s plot felt more self-contained than other Christopher Nolan films I’ve seen. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that it felt less expansive. There are few characters, and although I was left with several questions at the end, I don’t know if I’ll be thinking about it for weeks on end like I did when I watched The Prestige or Interstellar for the first time.
I don’t want to downplay the quality of the storytelling at all, though. Memento is one of the best and most engrossing thrillers I’ve ever watched. The plot is just built more around one person and the people he interacts with, rather than massive worldbuilding seen in Inception, Interstellar, Tenet, etc.
Memento (like many Christopher Nolan films) is a masterclass in creative storytelling. Nolan is like a magician, keeping his audience unable to look away, leaving them shocked at the outcome, and giving them much to think about after the performance. I was guessing about specific details up until the very last scene (and I’m still guessing about some things!).
Memento is not a feel-good movie by any means, but for a fascinating crime thriller you won’t be able to look away from, look no further than Christopher Nolan’s underrated 2000 release.
Darius Mullin’s reviews reflect his personal opinions and not necessarily those of the library or university.
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