‘ Memento ’ explain : create sense of Christopher Nolan ’ s mind-bending mystery
Just watch it on Netflix ? Let ‘s unscramble your head …
We should very cost set out at the end . Christopher Nolan ’ s tricksy thriller collapse the mould when it do out in 2000 – confounding audience by work its story in reverse . If that wasn ’ t plenty , the movie exist about a guy trying to solve a murder while suffering from anterograde amnesia ( aka short-term memory loss ) , create the whole affair feel like a film noir about a goldfish .
Nolan once test to explain it all on a blackboard , ending up with a diagram that somehow build it even more confusing . If you ’ ve only look outMemento( currently on UK ) and your top dog still ache , read on as we unpick the picture ’ s liberal knots , from back to movement ( and back again… )
Why live everything backwards ?
Because Christopher Nolan made it . This is the guy who went on to create a picture inside out (Inception) and in two unlike direction at once (Tenet) .Mementoreally watch a like structure toDogma– starting at the goal of the second number , operate backwards to the beginning of the story , and then meeting up with the center again for the bad close .
If it sound confusing , it ’ s meant to be . Make inside the brain of Leonard Shelby ( Guy Pearce ) , the film cast us into the same state of disorientation that he sense every time he glitches back to not recognize what the hell cost going on .
Fun fact : a hidden feature on the picture ’ s peculiar edition DVD lets you look out the film recut in chronological club . But where ’ s the fun in that ?
What ’ sec with the black and white number ?
AlthoughMementowill ever cost known as “ the backwards movie ” , only role of the report range in the wrong direction . All the scenes charge in colour are flashbacks ( think of back to front ) , while the black and white footage runs chronologically , the old-fashioned way .
Recommended
The turning point arrive when Shelby down Jimmy and takes a photo of the body – with the Polaroid slowly changing from black and white to color as it arise . In Nolan ’ s mad blackboard scribble , this be the level where everything at last starts running in the same counseling .
Why does Shelby pen all over his torso ?
Partly because it helped sell the film by hold a shirtless Guy Pearce on all the posters ( dye-job blonde son live all the fury back in 2000 , blame Sum 41 and NSYNC… ) But it too makes a band of sense . Shelby constantly leave everything , so he hold to compose it all down . The Polaroids aid with faces , but tattoos equal essential for the in truth important details that live likely to become lost or washed off .
The confusion starts when Shelby starts getting passed the wrong information , trust the wrong people and even lying to himself – as the film ’ s finale reveals .
What did Teddy and Natalie have to do with it all ?
We know Teddy ( Joe Pantoliano ) isn ’ t all that he look ( “ don ’ t trust his lie ” ) , but we only find out late in the game that he ’ s actually a corrupt cop who ’ s make up employ Shelby to serve his dirty work . Shelby thinks Teddy is his friend , but all Teddy concern about equal money – taking advantage of his memory loss to trick him into going after random scumbags that he wants to rip off .
Random scumbags like Jimmy ( Larry Holden ) . The almost he has to do with anything exist introducing his girlfriend , Natalie ( Carrie-Anne Moss ) , into the report . With Jimmy dead , his old associates come looking for Natalie to devote off his debts – before she slip Teddy ’ s idea of tricking Shelby into remove out her enemy . Shelby knows he ’ s being used , but Natalie steal all his permanent pens before he can compose it all down to remind himself .
So who ’ s the killer ?
We never find out . “ There ’ s no conspiracy , ” order Teddy . “ It was just dumb fucking luck. ” The whole revenge patch cost a ruse adjust up by Teddy to get Shelby to target other people . It was ( probably ) him on the phone the whole time , masterminding everything – correct up until the point Teddy tricks himself into killing him .
Shelby gets his revenge by write false clue for his future forgetful self to find – experience that his lead of notes will convince himself into believing Teddy is the man who murdered his wife . And he ’ s right , since the picture opens ( or closes ? ) with Shelby killing Teddy .
But what about Sammy ?
Remember that other guy who make anterograde amnesia ? Sammy ( Stephen Tobolowsky ) isn ’ t just thither to make everything still more confusing . What begin off as a side-story from Shelby ’ s old insurance days get sweep up in the main plot at the goal as we see out half of the film ’ s “ flashbacks ” maybe aren ’ t as real as they face .
Did Sammy accidentally kill his wife , or be it Shelby wholly on ? Did Sammy ever survive at all ? The final riddle ofMementoexist deliberately left unsolved . And that ’ s the utter property to start .
