Momento - Darine Bahsoon

Memento is a psychological thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film was released in 2000. The film stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance fraud investigator searching for a man he believes has killed and raped his wife during a burglary of their house. Leonard the main character suffers from anterograde amnesia which is connected from a head trauma during the attack of his wife. This is therefore the reason of Leonard’s condition and the fact the he cannot store new memories. In order for Leonard to cope with his condition he creates and maintains a system of notes and photographs and also tattoos all over his body to record information about himself and also about others, including his wife’s killer. The films events unfold in two separate, alternating narratives, one in which is in colour and the other part is in black and white.

Leonard’s character is that conceivably playing and acting a detective role, which is typical of a thriller movie involving a detective role as the main character. Another main character is this film aside from Leonard, is Teddy played by Pantoliano and Natalie played by Carrie-Anne Moss. Leonard is aided in investigation to find his wife’s killer. However significantly, Leonard cannot trust either Teddy or Natalie. Teddy’s character is perhaps a ‘snitch’, also a ‘bent cop’ meaning he is a rather dodgy character and also character that will go to any measure to eat money. This is shown as he sets up Jimmy G. Jimmy G in what the audience could believe was a police officer who perhaps also does drug dealing on the side. However Teddy does know Leonard’s character more than anyone else and Leonard is aware of this and this therefore annoys him and so he therefore wrote on Teddy’s picture ‘don’t believe his lies’. Nevertheless Teddy’s character is not all bad as he generally likes Leonard and wants to help make him happy. Whereas Natalie, is on the other hand, playing games with Leonard, and taking advantage of condition and benefitting from it. Leonard also killed Natalie’s boyfriend, Natalie is aware of this and because she knows this she attempts to set up Teddy. This highlights the fact that Natalie’s character is twisted and evil as she wants to get revenge, in any way at all including taking advantage of Leonard’s condition and also messes with his mind, to get her way.

The film is set in an American town, a quite, spread out and dusty. This is shown as the car in the film gets extremely filthy. The setting in which the killings take place is in an abandoned farm house on the outer skirts of the town. This is appealing to the fact that it is a thriller as it is abandoned and perhaps also isolated. A key unconventional feature of the setting and mood of the film is that as it is a thriller and unlike most thrillers it is set in daylight. This is perhaps against the norm of a typical thriller.

From the fact that the film is set in complete daylight throughout you feel as though the films sense of fear for the audience all comes from the fact Leonard has lost his memory. There is the use of what look like flash backs used in this film in black and white about Sammy Jenkins but are actually flash forwards. Sammy Jenkins is a made up character used to make Leonard feel better about himself. However we find out throughout the film that it is really all along Leonard is that character.

All in all I feel that whilst the story and plot is conventional of a thriller film the style of the narrative telling is unconventional as a majority of the film is toward backwards. As this is a detective story and it also does involve solving a crime and a mystery this enables the film to fit the codes and conventions of a thriller. This film also involves a protagonist with a single minded goal which is Leonards case is to kill the man who raped and supposedly ‘murdered’ is wife. I feel that Memento is a very good film that will most definitely attract an audience who enjoy thriller movies and give them satisfaction while watching this incredibly original film.