Memento

Memento is a movie that was released in 2001 directed by Christopher Nolan. It is one of the best examples of non-linear screenplays. The movie moves on two tracks , 1 track is black and white and is a flashback but moves in chronological fashion , 2 nd track is in colour but moves in reverse chronological fashion. And there is a scene where these two tracks overlap and then converge.
The movie is about a guy who is avenging the murder of his wife. But he suffers from short term memory loss , so he tatooes notes all over his body or takes Polaroid snaps of people and notes their names (hence the name momento). The movie also raises questions about how humans selectively decide to remember certain things based on their world view and self righteousnes.
Its a pure DVD watch where you might have to revisit scenes or watch the movie in reverse to understand it. Its even more intriguing than movies like Usual Suspects where the one twist in the end justifies the entire story. But here Christopher Nolan almost teases your brain not only at a screenplay narrative level but also by embedding scenes which you have to watch very carefully.
Some part of this movie was used in a Tamil movie called Ghajini in 2005 which went on to become a big hit. But it is really a far far cry from the original. A must watch for movie buffs.

Comments