Existentialism In Memento, Fight Club, And The Talented Mr.

We are often told that we can do as we please. We can get the job we want, we can live where we want, we can have as much money as we want; but these and of faculties of life are only attainable to a select few. Those with the money, those with the power; those at the top of the pyramid of the foundation of traditional realist thinking and the patriarchal hierarchy. These two social entities stem from power wielded by men who fit the mold; rich, white, protestant Anglo-Saxon men. Those who do not conform to this mold are left out. They cannot make demands that follow them. They cannot attain the wealth for themselves, they attain it for others. Filmmakers routinely challenge these social constructs with the use of neo-noir films where they implement elements of the post-Nietzschean existentialism. This conceptual form of thinking is used to allow the anti/hero protagonist to begin a journey of finding themselves. They too often look for the villain an unbeknownst to them, they wear said hat. In the films, Memento , Fight Club, and The Talented Mr. Ripley, the anti-hero protagonists find themselves on the lower rungs of the ladder and are unwilling to accept their faith. They then use their unconsciousness to explore what they lack, strength, authority and wealth. They soon come to realize that escaping their reality is much harder than it seems, for they are not “them”, but the other.
He can remember things prior to the “incident” with his wife, but he seems to be unable to form new memories. We are first introduced to Mr. Shelby on his quest to avenge his wife’s death by finding her murderer, John G. Leonard wants closure, but he will never be able to attain it; for he is the reason why his wife is dead, and he cannot accept that. Leonard gave his wife too much insulin and she passed away. He is the reason why she is dead. Instead of admitting that to himself, he creates an alternate