MEMENTO

"You know, I can remember so much. The feel of the world... her."

MEMENTO is a triumph. It is cinematic bliss; a strikingly original, complex story about a complex man, who has a complex problem. It defies all conceivable restraints presented throughout the history of film, especially a story told in linear fashion. Christopher Nolan displays a genius eye, made even more remarkable by his being a first-time director. His original screenplay is an explosive piece of genius, daring to tell its story in a way that has almost never been told before.

Guy Pearce plays Leonard, a man who suffers from a rare disorder that doesn't allow his brain to make any new memories. This disorder happened the night that two men broke into his house, raping and killing his wife. He remembers everything from before the accident; who he is, old memories, instincts, feelings, preferences. Since the night when the men took away his entire life, he has been on a hell-bent mission to catch the bastards and kill them, dispite sometimes closing his eyes, and not knowing where he is or why he is there when he opens them.

Leonard saves pictures in his coat pocket and tattoos the most important details on to his body. He is really unable to trust anyone, simply because he does not remember who they are. The two people who help him out the most, Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) may, or may not, be the most dangerous people in his life.

As Leonard, Guy Pearce is a revelation. His performance is a bravado piece of greatness, a performance that matches its character in terms of depth and complexity. He does not quite know when to be angry, innocent, open, closed, or when to suspend his feelings of disbelief. Pearce goes through every emotion needed for the role, and more, in an effective narrative. As the film progresses the audience figures out why everything has happened, even though Leonard has not.

As the story progresses backwards, it becomes more complicated and more intense. This is a testament to Nolan's surprisingly sharp directorial skills. The audience knows how the movie ends, because it is presented in the opening scene. As the clues fall in place in terms of how the ending happened, the story becomes more and more fascinating. I have never experienced a story in which the climax is revealed first, but somehow the energy and emotion felt during the climax is able to be carried throughout the story's entirity. For that reason, as well as many others, MEMENTO is a mesmerizing masterpiece.

A+

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