.:: Remember Sammy Jankis ? ::. Review on Memento Movie

Christopher Nolan's classic, 'Memento' is a film that found itself among the most innovative and absorbing films of all time, simply on the basis of its disoriented structure and a mesmerizing mode of story telling. The deviation from the hackneyed linear plot, a mind boggling puzzle and an astute sense of direction make it one of the best movies to have been ever made. How many movies can we recall whose plots did not confirm to chronology in a linear fashion? Pulp Fiction comes to my mind instantly. Memento can very well be considered to be the pinnacle of this form of story telling. Having earned a reputation of exacting a lot of attention from the viewers, Memento might need multiple viewings to get a strong grip on the essence of the story. But in every viewing, the viewer is assured to come out with a warped mind, a plethora of questions and a deep sense of appreciation.

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''He is the One. Kill Him''

Exposing the climax to the viewer in the very first frame might startle most viewers, but this is perhaps the least divulged of all the secrets. Memento continues to play with the mind of the viewer using two threads that join at the end of the story, or the middle if you please. There is a thread running forward in time, whose purpose apparently is to divulge pieces of information that are needed to reconstruct the puzzle in the end but in reality it ends up distracting the viewer from the real truth. And then there is a backward thread that seems to have the same purpose, but focuses on reality rather than the perspectives of those involved. When the two threads meet, all the viewer can do is to marvel at the brilliance of the whole structure. The premise of power and instability of memory, that the movie is based on applies to the viewer as well when the deconstruction and re-assemblage exercise begins after it is all over.

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''Don't believe his Lies''

You can only feel the details. Bits and pieces which you didn't bother to put into words. And extreme moments you feel even if you don't want to. Put it together and you get the feel of the person, enough to know how you miss them, and how much you hate the person who took it away --Lenny.

This movie is based on the life of Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), who sets out to avenge the rape and murder of his wife. Suffering from what could be medically described as anterograde amnesia, which prevents him from making new memories due to a violent blow during the incident, he is compelled to be less reliant on long term memory and more on props to record facts, events and inferences. Any piece of information related to his acquaintances, his environment is all recorded on pieces of paper, a bunch of Polaroid pictures or permanently tattooed onto his body. He is apparently assisted by an under cover cop, who calls himself Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) and a bartender named Natalie (Carrie-Ann Moss).

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''Memory is unreliable''

Memory is not perfect. It's not even that good. Memory can change the shape of the room, the color of a car. It is an interpretation, not a record. Memories can be changed or distorted and they are irrelevant if you have the facts. --Lenny

As we move backwards in the movie, we are led to believe and later contradicted by the events that follow or rather precede. In the course, we are also conditioned to be skeptical about what we see and trust. Memento also relies on the viewer to constantly put the pieces of the puzzle together as and when the facts are presented while storing away the rest of the pieces in memory that may not be pertinent for the timebeing. In the due course, the viewer begins to identify with the struggle of Leonard while he or she realizes the how unreliable memory can be. That is perhaps the basic premise of the movie, and sometimes leads the viewers into making notes as more facts are being unfolded simply because they are led to be paranoid about their own memory as well.

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''Remember Sammy Jankis?''

The closer the movie gains upon resolution, the role and motives of Teddy and Natalie become cloudier and more obscure. This works to the advantage of the movie as the clever handling of these characters seems to reiterate the adamant obscurity of the narration. And the role of ,'Sammy Jenkins', a medical patient encountered by Leonard while on his job as an insurance investigator, seems to get more significant as we move on. A beautiful rhythm begins to take form as Memento begins to play out towards its opening sequence. And when it is all over, a neat circle seems to have been completed that may give the viewer a sense of a gotcha!,while realizing the fact that he or she had been taken in for a ride.

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''A Memento to Treasure''

A disoriented structure about memory or the lack of it is not the sole domain of the movie. While the screen play must be among the best ever written, Guy Pearce in the role of Leonard Shelby has brought out the character in an effective fashion, a performance worthy of an applause. The supporting cast has done a commendable job as well. Christopher Nolan has excelled in the art of direction especially since the movie does contain complex scenes that have an emotional angle as well. The movie is not entirely devoid of all flaws that become apparent with multiple viewings. But in retaining a complex plot that had lots of potential to misfire, the makers of Memento had indeed come up with powerful, absorbing, intelligent, obscure, (in)complete and most definitely a highly rewarding film.

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Now, Where was I ? -Lenny ........