REVIEW: Memento
Memento
Dir Christopher Nolan
With its status as a modern cult classic, it seems appropriate that the Phoenix Picturehouse has selected Memento for its upcoming Challenging Conventions series, a showcase of provocative and original recent cinema. The story surrounds Leonard and his search for his wife’s killers, a task hindered not inconsiderably by his inability to form short-term memories. Instead he must record clues on scraps of paper, tattoos and Polaroid photos.
Director Christopher Nolan’s decision to replay events in reverse is the film’s great innovation. This backward structure immerses the audience in Leonard’s permanent state of disorientation as like him they must piece together a mystery in which there can be no certainties. Nolan paces the action with steely control, building tension as character motivations become increasingly suspect and faded flashback sequences chart Leonard’s murky past.
As the forgetful protagonist Guy Pearce also builds on his cult credentials with an intensely measured portrayal of a man obsessed, always liable to decisive acts of vengeful violence. This is a rare film, all the more incredible for it being Nolan’s debut outing as director. He combines elements of the classic noirish thriller with the unique ability to constantly bewilder and challenge his audience.
25th May 2006