Memento

Yeah, after months of searching, I finally got to see Memento. How? I downloaded an illegal copy through some file sharing program. Don't blame me! I've tried so hard to do it legally. I've been searching for an original copy for months, to no avail. So when I did a random search in the internet, and it popped up--- all 750 megabytes of it--- i proceeded to download it.

So what can I say about the movie? Apparently, it's actually Christopher Nolan's second movie. His first movie was Following, a relatively unknown movie shot on a shoestring budget. Critics say it was good, even more so considering the budget it had. It was mostly shown on film festivals, and producers took notice and they proceeded to give him funding for his next film. The Following was shown on more screen after Memento. The film's posters actually show the words "from the director of Memento" in huge letters, even though the film was made earlier.

So, were my huge expectations met? I say "Hell Yeah!". You can say I'm biased because I've already read all those positive reviews the movie had. After I've seen the movie, I say it deserved all the praise it got. That was a complete mind f*ck. If you don't pay attention, you'll get lost. See, the movie basically starts at the end, showing clips lasting for about 10-15 minutes each, moving towards the very beginning. The excitement doesn't lie in seeing how it turns out, but in filling out the blanks, finding out how things happened. The movie has a lot of twists--- just when you thought you've had it all figured out, the next scene shows that all your assumptions were wrong. Those few negative reviews said that the way they edited the movie was just a gimmickto make a very simple story look complicated. True enough, when viewed in reverse, the movie's plot really seems simple. But they're completely missing the point. The way it was edited completely fits the movie, it further immerses the audience to the point of view of the main actor. He has this condition wherein he can't form new thoughts--- everything that happens, he'll forget in a few minutes, so he has to take pictures, write stuff down. We can see how things happen before his very eyes. We can even relate to the character, trying hard to remember every detail, because once we don't pay attention and forget the previous events, we get lost. Like the character, the audience is put into some sort of struggle with memory. And there's so much to see, so many clues to watch out for, that the second viewing is even more pleasurable.

It's hard to believe such a film can be made early in a director's career. The future looks very promising indeed.

Oh yeah, here's a site where a critic discusses everything about Memento. It's best read after seeing the movie. :)