memento
directed by Christopher Nolan
memento
is a mind damagingly good flick. I would recommend
that you go out and buy or rent it. Warning:
If you intend to buy the DVD of Memento,
then whatever you do, do not read the blurb,
it gives away a major point about memento
that you definitely do not want to know. (I
say why in the Spoilers section below). Extract
disk from the DVD case without even looking
at it. Watch the film in blissful ignorance.
In which case, if you trust me, then there
is no need to read anymore of this analysis.
Come back another day!
If you are not convinced, read on... Memento
is about an ex-insurance investigator Lenny
(Guy Pearce) who is trying to solve a murder.
He has suffered brain damage: his long term
memory is destroyed. He can remember events
for a few minutes then *nothing*. To remind
himself of clues he tattoos statements on
his skin and reads them. He also takes pictures
with a polaroid and writes captions on them.
With these clues he tries to solve the case.
Of course we can remember more than the main
character, so we have a different perspective
of the reality than he does. This is a fantastically
interesting premise. Memento
executes it brilliantly.
Some aspects though, are confusing to both
us and to the tortured protagonist. Who can
he trust? The characters in this movie are
obviously toying with him, saying things that
he (but not us) will forget. but why, and
who are they really?
Being about memory, this film is fascinating.
Our minds, our consciousness, our sense of
self is all down to our memories, which we
rarely even think about. When you lose a cell
phone you lose your numbers. If you lose your
memories then you lose your life, at least
as we conceive it. The trouble is, unlike
computer data, human memories cannot be backed
up. So, hey, be careful with your head out
there!
Watching Memento
gives you an idea that for some people the
past is as mysterious as the future. Given
that time is an illusion anyway, this seems
to return symmetry to the Universe. The difference
between the past and the future is we only
remember one of these. But memories themselves
are the reason that time itself seems convincingly
real. But there is nothing in the laws of
physics that distinguishes past present and
future. There is an "arrow of time",
but this arrow merely says that average disorder
increases. But in what? If the whole universe
is laid out like a brick, with the past at
one end and and the future at the other, the
arrow of time says that disorder
is greatest at the future end. But time itself
is not there. The brain experiences time because
the disordered end contains memories that
are absent at the ordered end. Memories are
ordered, but there is greater disorder overall,
as the heat used to forge our memories simultaneously
makes the environment more chaotic. I suspect
that if we did not have any memories then
we would not experience time at all.
memento is plot
driven, rather than an exercise in self-indulgent
philosophical ruminations as per my bullshit
ramblings above, in fact time is not mentioned.
But the movie provokes thoughts like that,
in me anyway ;) Best of all, Memento
is a fiendish gold nugget in a sewer of formulaic
and instantly forgettable Hollywood dross.
|
|
|
spoilers corner
Spoilers!!!!
Warning: this box contains a movie post-mortem analysis that freely gives away important plot twists and details. If you have not yet seen this movie and intend seeing it, avoid this spoilers box until afterwards. Bookmark the page, see the movie, see if you agree with my review then write an arsy comment saying I am talking total b*ll*cks :-)
|
| |
The magical thing about memento
is the moment when it suddenly dawns
on you that the movie is moving from
the future into the past. (Time reversal
is not a novel idea, but it is done
in an original way in this movie). The
cover on the memento
DVD actually tells you the movie is
in reverse!!!!! That is as bad as giving
away the murderer in a whodunit.
The future to past plot works because
you have to piece together the past
from the future, where as the bloke
in the movie is trying to figure out
the past based on the present, with,
of course, the aid of a few mementos.
The mementos themselves are misleading,
besides, why tattoo you body with drivel
in huge fonts when a notepad and biro
would do the trick? He uses photos after
all. That his mementos are misleading
is pretty true of our own mementos,
whether they are our physical memories
or our own records of history. The russians
have a saying: Lie like an eye witness.
.
|
|
There are no more spoilers below this
point, except maybe in any user talkback
comments.
End of spoilers corner
|
|
|
I forgot it.
Add your comment to this page
 | | | | | | From: |
Carla | Subject: | 2003-03-10 17:17:02 |
| | | | | | From: |
MadPole | Subject: | 2003-06-13 11:42:38 |
| | | | | | From: |
MadPole | Subject: | 2003-06-16 06:35:10 |
| | | | | | From: |
I'm Old Gregg! | Subject: | 2005-09-04 15:51:17 |
| | | | | | From: |
LateNightViewer | Subject: | 2005-09-18 08:49:29 |
| | | | | | From: |
peter | Subject: | 2005-10-07 20:04:41 |
| | | | | | From: |
Martin | Subject: | 2005-12-20 09:06:52 |
| | | | |
help: how to add your comment Page hits: 14640
|
