Thursday 13 January 2011

Christopher NOLAN Charlotte RAYMEN

MEMENTO (113 mins) review
memento.jpgChristopher Nolan has redefined the world of thriller with such hits as Dark Knight (2008);  Inception (2010) Batman Begins (2005) and Prestige (2006) one of his best films was that of Memento, which came to cinemas in 2000, based on a short story written by Jonathan Nolan called "Memento Mori" in which a man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos for the man he thinks killed his wife.

chris_nolan_image__1_.jpgThe plot is going in two directions, backwards and forwards, throughout black and white scenes, it shows a forward timeline in which Leonard is explaining over the phone how he came to lose the ability to make new memories and how he lives through repetition and story telling, explaining a similar tale of conman Sammy Jenkins, it is unclear until the very end when in time he is speaking.The backwards order of the films events allows the audience to feel what the main character, Leonard, is feeling, it creates a sense of confusion and loss which goes perfectly with the theme presented throughout and allows the audience to be taken on a journey with the various plot twists.

Leonard, as the protagonist, only has a 15 minute memory, caused by an incident in which he says killed his wife and set the rest of his life searching for revenge. This flaw in memory poses as his main weakness that is exploited by the antagonists, Natalie and or Teddy aka John G, it becomes clear by the end of the movie that there are no certainties in Leonard's life, and some of the questions posed are never answered.
I think the key scenes are; when Natalie goes starts shouting and swearing at Leonard, this lets the audience realise that she is using him for her own gain and doesn't care for his plight, and the last scene, in which the narrated thoughts of Leonard ambiguously ties knots and shows that he had planned this all for himself, to give his life a purpose

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