Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

This unconventional, psychological thriller is a suspenseful patchwork of scenes. I will try not to give too much information about major plot details so as not to taint your virgin viewing.

Memento, about Leonard who has lost the ability to make new memories having to live moment to moment, starts from the end and works its way backward - giving us, the viewer, the feeling of memory loss. Leonard, trying to find the person who killed his wife and caused his condition, must rely on notes, Polaroid snapshots, and tattoos to remind him of his status in finding this killer.

Memento will not appeal to those moviegoers who like to have the plot spoon fed to them. It's difficult to see each scene unfold, then to be thrust into a new scene with little reference. It is a confusing movie especially upon first viewing. However, this is precisely what makes Memento a clever piece of work.

As each scene unfolds, the viewer is provided more information as to what was seen prior. One scene has Leonard running in a trailer park yet he forgets why he is running. First, he thinks I’m chasing someone, then after being shot at realizes Nope, I’m being chased. Like Leonard, we don’t know what is happening until he becomes aware of the situation.

Making matters worse are the people he chooses to surround himself with. He is an easy target for opportunistic people. The motel clerk admits to deceiving Leonard, he replies, “at least you are being honest.” The clerk answers, “You won’t remember anyway.”

Leonard, played by Guy Pierce (L.A. Confidential) is understandably cynical and paranoid. His character is dark, walking around unshaven with scratches on his face. One of Leonard’s endearing qualities, besides his good looks, is that we see he does love his wife and her loss has greatly affected him.

Memento partially deals with the reliance on facts over memory – but how do we determine what is a fact? In one scene, Leonard tells a friend how a person’s memory is the least accurate determinant of a past situation. He lectures that facts are much more potent to piecing together a scenario. However, Leonard’s condition creates an unstable basis to interpret what he deems as fact. His facts are what he has written to or tattooed on himself but he cannot remember the circumstances around or relevency of his notes.

The end (or beginning?) converges into a satisfying weave with a twist. To be honest, it is so twisted that I am not exactly sure what is fact, memory, or fiction. Memento will definitely stay with you after viewing as your mind tries to make sense of what has been viewed. I’m still not sure of exactly everything, but a movie like this doesn’t make absolute claims upon which to make nice conclusions. It just leaves it hanging.


Recommended: Yes