> Behalf Of Darryl Shannon
> Last week we saw the excellent movie "Memento". The basic premise is
> that the protagonist has lost the ability to form long-term
> memories...he forgets what has happened after 15-20 minutes. But, his
> wife was brutally raped and murdered in the same attack that gave him
> his brain damage. Since his last clear memory is his wife's death, he
> is compelled to track down and punish the attacker. Very interesting
> movie, with a very effective use of reverse time. The movie is told
> backwards, with each scene taking place farther into the past.
I second the recommendation. Memento is a very fine film. I intend seeing it
again, and it will be one of the first we get when we get round to getting a
DVD.
Even when told backwards, I found that seeing the motivations and
manipulations around events we'd already witnessed increased the tension.
You do need to pay attention to what is happening, but it is a movie that
treats its audience with respect, unlike so many others.
As well as a film noir feeling, I thought Memento was rather sci-fi-ish as
Lenny effectively slips into different realities - as we the audience also
do - every 7 minutes or so. It is almost like he gets uploaded differently
every so often. The classic being, not knowing if he is the chaser or the
chased.
snip
>
> The only major plot hole is that a person with Lenny's condition would
> be constantly forgetting that he has that condition. Lenny always
> remembers and can explain his disability.
But the intertwined story shows that Lenny is aware of the condition from
before his beating, so it is not "new information" At least, that's my
rationalisation. (This is not a spoiler, as right from the beginning Lenny
keeps telling people about "his condition").
Remember Sammy Jankis.
Brett's ranking for Memento: 4.5 Joshes (out of 5)
Brett
