Most films that arrive in theaters aren’t worth watching there. No one wants to pay $7.50 for a film that ends badly, has weak characters and bad directing.
But with the independent film “Memento,” no one will leave the movie theater unsatisfied.
Although it has been in theaters since April, “Memento” is slowly starting to gain popularity. Starring Guy Pearce (“L.A. Confidential”), Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix,” “Chocolat”) and Joe Pantoliano (“The Matrix”), the film is told backward from Pearce’s character’s point of view.
The film is about Leonard Shelby (Pearce), a desperate man trying to track down the killer of his wife. Leonard’s problem isn’t only that the murder of his wife is still unsolved, but every morning he wakes up with short-term memory loss.
To solve this problem, Leonard has tattooed messages onto his body as reminders of his search. He leaves himself notes throughout his hotel room about people he has encountered and events he should remember. He also takes Polaroids of people he meets so he will know them in his altered state.
Each day, he rereads the tattooed memos on his body and continues to grow more frustrated and upset. But as the audience, you’re even more confused than the amnesiac main character because the story is told backward.
Leonard’s memories before the murder are clear, but they only serve as reminders of his former life - and they haunt him dangerously through the film. The characters of Natalie (Moss) and Teddy (Pantoliano) serve as friends to Leonard, but they, like everything else in the film, are not what they seem.
The originality of the movie is probably its best asset. Most film-goers haven’t seen anything like this before. The filmmakers give you clues throughout the picture, so the time of each event can be understood more easily. Characters acquire injuries, scars and tattoos during the movie so watchers aren’t confused by the timeline.
The plot twists and the device of telling a story backward aren’t the only assets to “Memento.” Pearce, an Australian actor who has done less commercial films, excels in his role as the memory-impaired Leonard. Moss and Pantoliano serve their purpose too, providing quirky side characters who don’t take attention away from Pearce’s role.
“Memento” is only the second film from director and co-writer Christopher Nolan. The quality within this movie is amazing because it plays like all films should - smoothly, and with very little distraction from on-screen talent and the story line. The most difficult part of the movie is getting used to watching it backward.
Leaving a screening of “Memento” is like seeing “Pulp Fiction” for the first time. It’s obvious the film is excellent, but it’s a little confusing. This would destroy many movies, but with “Memento,” it leaves you wanting more.
