Memento Film Techniques
Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan, is an action-packed, psychological thriller guaranteed to leave the viewer thinking long after the film ends. Released in 2001, the movie stars many famous actors, including: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Stephen Tobolowsky. Considered "one of the best movies of the 2000's," Memento is a complicated, head-spinning adventure of revenge, heartbreak, and manipulation. In this movie review, I will analyze the thematic significance regarding Nolan's choice of filming techniques, music, and symbols.
The plot develops around two separate, yet parallel stories of Leonard (Guy Pearce), an ex-insurance investigator who suffers from anterograde amnesia, resulting in the inability to make new memories after the brutal death of his wife. The complicated sequence of events tells the story of Leonard's quest to avenge the murder of his wife. One story, in color, is the story of Leonard's adventure in reverse order. The other story, appearing in black and white excerpts, reveals the story of Sammy Jenkins (Stephen Tobolowsky), which is Leonard's story to mask his devastating situation to others. The movie follows Leonard along his violent adventure, switching back and forth between parallel stories, while showing the manipulation arising by those who take advantage of Leonard's distressing condition. …show more content…
The scenes in color, representing the regressing plot, are in short segments because that is as long as Leonard can remember before his memory slate is wiped blank again. This method of filming gives the reader a sense of empathy for anyone suffering from a memory problem, and I believe is an effective method for creating emotions within the viewer. Christopher Nolan closely depicted Leonard's jumbled mind by changing the colors and order of the
The plot develops around two separate, yet parallel stories of Leonard (Guy Pearce), an ex-insurance investigator who suffers from anterograde amnesia, resulting in the inability to make new memories after the brutal death of his wife. The complicated sequence of events tells the story of Leonard's quest to avenge the murder of his wife. One story, in color, is the story of Leonard's adventure in reverse order. The other story, appearing in black and white excerpts, reveals the story of Sammy Jenkins (Stephen Tobolowsky), which is Leonard's story to mask his devastating situation to others. The movie follows Leonard along his violent adventure, switching back and forth between parallel stories, while showing the manipulation arising by those who take advantage of Leonard's distressing condition. …show more content…
The scenes in color, representing the regressing plot, are in short segments because that is as long as Leonard can remember before his memory slate is wiped blank again. This method of filming gives the reader a sense of empathy for anyone suffering from a memory problem, and I believe is an effective method for creating emotions within the viewer. Christopher Nolan closely depicted Leonard's jumbled mind by changing the colors and order of the