Memento (2000)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writers:

Jonathan Nolan (short story "Memento Mori")
Christopher Nolan (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 October 2000 (France)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Some memories are best forgotten

Plot:

A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife.

Plot Keywords:

Memory | Murder | Short Term Memory | Short Term Memory Loss | Polaroid

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 42 wins & 32 nominations

Cast

Guy Pearce	...	Leonard
Carrie-Anne Moss	...	Natalie
Joe Pantoliano	...	Teddy Gammell
Mark Boone Junior	...	Burt
Russ Fega	...	Waiter
Jorja Fox	...	Leonard's Wife
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Sammy
Harriet Sansom Harris	...	Mrs. Jankis
Thomas Lennon	...	Doctor
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Dodd
Kimberly Campbell	...	Blonde
Marianne Muellerleile	...	Tattooist
Larry Holden	...	Jimmy

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some drug content.

Runtime:

113 min | Turkey:107 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #37211) | Iceland:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 (re-rating) | Ireland:18 (original rating) | Japan:PG-12 | Mexico:B | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG (censored version) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Newmarket Capital Group

Trivia:

The medical condition experienced by Leonard in this film is a real condition called Anterograde Amnesia - the inability to form new memories after damage to the hippocampus. During the 1950s, doctors treated some forms of epilepsy by removing parts of the temporal lobe, resulting in the same memory problems.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Natalie shows Leonard the picture of herself with Jimmy, she is smiling (in addition to Jimmy having a mustache). Later, when he gets out of bed and views it again, she is no longer smiling, and Jimmy's mustache is gone. Finally, in the close-up of Leonard writing the note on the back of the Polaroid he took of her, the picture has reverted to its original state.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Leonard Shelby: [voiceover] So where are you? You're in some motel room. You just - you just wake up and you're in - in a motel room. There's the key. It feels like maybe it's just the first time you've been there, but perhaps you've been there for a week, three months. It's - it's kind of hard to say. I don't - I don't know. It's just an anonymous room.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in El maquinista (2004)

Soundtrack:

Motherlode

Its not a gimmick, its something new

Yes, it's true. The entire movie is based on a gimmick. However, I honestly feel that this does not cheapen the picture in the slightest bit. I loved every scene; discovering information as our lead character discovered it. It demands a second and third viewing, as there are many subtleties and quick flashes that may not be picked up on the first time around. Its one of the most original films ever made, and for people who scoff at the concept of not having a short-term memory, it actually is a real condition. Watch this movie. And, please pay attention. The performances are wonderful, and its structured magnificently.