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Memento
U.S., 2000, 113 min, 35mm, Dir. Christopher Nolan, Rated R, Park Circus
Now, where was I? Oh, yes: Christopher Nolan’s sophomore feature is a staple of the 21st century’s love affair with mind-bending thrillers. Based on a short story titled “Memento Mori” by his brother Jonathan, the film is a neo-noir that follows Leonard Shelby (Guy Pierce) as he searches for the mysterious John G., the perpetrator of a home invasion that killed Leonard’s wife and left him with anterograde amnesia. Featuring sequences in both black-and-white and color, Memento toys with the concept of time, leaving viewers in as confused a state as its protagonist. At the same time, it’s an enigmatic puzzle teasing audiences, a trait Nolan has embedded into his entire oeuvre. It’s hard to find another director whose entire body of work breeds essays from both film scholars and savvy viewers attempting to unravel the mysteries Nolan – and his brother – present on the big screen.
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