Memento Film Analysis Paper
Javier Gonzalez
CTVA 210
Tues. 4:00 PM
4/24/2014
Memento Film Analysis Memento (2001), a film that was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, has captivated the attention of movie and puzzle enthusiasts everywhere. Some may call it a Drama or Mystery, or even a Thriller or a Neo-Noir film, whatever the case is, this film fits most, if not all, of these categories. Memento is a film about a man, Leonard Shelby who lives his life with Anterograde Amnesia which leaves him incapable of making new memories. He spends the time in this film putting pieces of a puzzle together that will hopefully lead him to find the man who raped and killed his wife. Christopher Nolan takes us through a crazy journey that involves twists and turns, Fear and Anxiety and even a feeling of Paranoia that leaves us questioning who we should really trust in the film. This psychological mystery allows us to see the film as neo-noir because of the flawed protagonist which is reflected in the main character, Leonard. With the disability our main character and narrator has, it might give some viewers a feeling of uneasiness and may even not trust him entirely which gives the feeling of paranoia in not knowing who in the film is telling us the truth and who is lying to us. The story is told in a confusing way, if one were to not pay attention for a short period of time, it may be certain that you will be lost in the film. One has to truly pay up most attention in order to fully process everything that is going on, one viewing may not even be enough, a second viewing may help us catch things that were previously missed or even hidden in plain sight, but the film keeps us with the anxiety of wanting to know what happens next which allows this film to catch our attention even after one viewing. Memento is a film that can fall under many genres of film, I will however, be focusing on the genres of Drama, Mystery and Thriller. The film includes many different elements which allow the film to
CTVA 210
Tues. 4:00 PM
4/24/2014
Memento Film Analysis Memento (2001), a film that was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, has captivated the attention of movie and puzzle enthusiasts everywhere. Some may call it a Drama or Mystery, or even a Thriller or a Neo-Noir film, whatever the case is, this film fits most, if not all, of these categories. Memento is a film about a man, Leonard Shelby who lives his life with Anterograde Amnesia which leaves him incapable of making new memories. He spends the time in this film putting pieces of a puzzle together that will hopefully lead him to find the man who raped and killed his wife. Christopher Nolan takes us through a crazy journey that involves twists and turns, Fear and Anxiety and even a feeling of Paranoia that leaves us questioning who we should really trust in the film. This psychological mystery allows us to see the film as neo-noir because of the flawed protagonist which is reflected in the main character, Leonard. With the disability our main character and narrator has, it might give some viewers a feeling of uneasiness and may even not trust him entirely which gives the feeling of paranoia in not knowing who in the film is telling us the truth and who is lying to us. The story is told in a confusing way, if one were to not pay attention for a short period of time, it may be certain that you will be lost in the film. One has to truly pay up most attention in order to fully process everything that is going on, one viewing may not even be enough, a second viewing may help us catch things that were previously missed or even hidden in plain sight, but the film keeps us with the anxiety of wanting to know what happens next which allows this film to catch our attention even after one viewing. Memento is a film that can fall under many genres of film, I will however, be focusing on the genres of Drama, Mystery and Thriller. The film includes many different elements which allow the film to