Memento (2000) Review

Memento (2000), Christopher Nolan
4.5/5

A brilliant piece of film making, this beautifully shot and performed film is laid out in a non-linear narrative structure. The non-linear structure compliments the themes and subject matter. The audience's experience of fractured elements of the plot which are told out of order, parallel the sense of fragmentation and lack of psychological continuity that Lenny (Guy Pierce) experiences with his Anterograde amnesia. This film is also one of the most medically consistent depictions of amnesia and memory loss, and is largely accurate to the real life condition of anterograde amnesia (short term memory loss). The cinematography also works well, shifting between the time lines from black and white in one time line to the colour time line, which eventually intersect. However, once you get your head around the actual order of scene events, the plot isn't that complex, it is the experience and visual style of the storytelling that make this film interesting. The cinematography is in sync with the story, intertwining themes of the fallibility of memory, complimented by an excellent musical score. It is one of the best uses of the non-linear narrative editing style. A great film, that still holds up and is Christopher Nolan's best film to date.