The Best Film Of The Year!  …so far

“If I have three years to work on a movie and the audience has only two hours, I’d sure better be ahead them or else something is wrong,” said Christopher Nolan in a recent issue of Talk magazine.  Nolan, writer-director of the stunning new thriller Memento, now playing at Bethel Cinema, need not worry about meeting his stated goal. He has exceeded it. Memento will not only keep audiences guessing throughout its fascinating unfolding, but also will keep you thinking about it long after the final reel is played.

Guy Pearce stars in this neo-noir as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance investigator now utilizing his analytical skills to try to find the man who viciously murdered his wife. Despite Leonard’s dogged and relentless search for the truth, his efforts are hampered by one teensy problem: “I can’t make new memories.” You see, Leonard was so traumatized after the incident that he lost his short-term memory. He has full recollection of his life before the crime, but since then, he can only be in a moment for about five minutes before his memory becomes a literal tabula rasa, a blank slate upon which he must re-impress the facts, evidence and theories he’s collected since… well, since whenever it was that the incident occurred.

To deal with the disadvantages of his condition, Leonard formulates a plan to help him keep his facts straight: he litters the pockets with Polaroids that contain quickly scribbled notes to help clue him into who or what is in the picture; and if he believes he’s hit upon a key scrap of evidence, he tattoos it directly onto his body. Yet, despite Leonard’s steadfast faith in his system, we’re prompted to question if he can really trust these scraps of data at all… especially since he has no sense of the context in which these facts were gathered.

Nolan compounds the confusion of Leonard’s condition by telling his tale in reverse order. (Be forewarned: Nolan has meticulously crafted an unusual narrative style that demands viewer attention. Thus, bathroom breaks or jaunts to the snack bar shall be taken at your own peril.) The movie begins with a killing and then works backwards in vignettes that each tell in succession what happened previously, all the while further illuminating that which came before, or in linear time, that which came after. (Did you get all that?) The audience is given just a hint of what it must be like for Leonard, although we still have an advantage over him because we have the help of being able to retain in mind all the events that have flashed before us, without the use of a quickly snapped Polaroid.

Perhaps on the surface, Memento may seem a bit gimmicky, considering its protagonist’s unusual malady and filmmaker’s unique storytelling style. But its unconventional approach actually raises some interesting questions about epistemology, trusting others, trusting oneself, and that all-important query of What is Truth? But Memento is not over laden with “deep thoughts,” as Nolan is clever enough to also mine his concept for dark laughs at Leonard’s expense that are also careful not to cruelly mock our sympathetic hero. Leonard is constantly re-introducing himself to people he’s already met, always apologizing for his “condition,” and one instance finds Leonard in the middle of a frantic chase, unsure whether he’s the pursuer or the one being pursued until a gunshot in his near vicinity gives him a hint that he needs to run the other way. Pearce plays this part brilliantly, mixing Leonard’s self-assurance with an endearing naiveté borne of his memory problem. It’s his best work since L.A. Confidential. Joe Pantoliano and Carrie-Anne Moss also do fine work in supporting roles that intentionally never quite become clear until the film ends.

While it’s relatively early in the year, Memento, rated R for violence and profanity, is the best film so far of 2001.

To give your attention a workout and also enjoy some inventive narrative storytelling, make yourself a note (you don’t have to tattoo it to your torso) to catch Memento.