Starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Leonard Shelby (Pearce) stands over a man shot in the head, slowly bleeding to death. The trouble is, he can't remember how it happened. Some time ago he suffered a head injury while he was trying to intervene while his wife was being raped and murdered. He can still remember her and events that happened up until that night, but his short term memory capabilities have been destroyed. He will say or do something and in a matter of a few minutes, that memory is gone. Leonard has vowed to go after the man who killed his wife. He has tatooed many phrases and "facts" to his body, one of which is that a "John G." killed his wife. A cop John Gammel, who goes by the name Teddy (Pantoliano) says he worked on Leonard's case and is helping him track down the killer. A bar maid Natalie (Moss) whose shady boyfriend has gone missing, is also helping him find the killer by checking out licence plates numbers, and giving him a place to stay. She's doing this in return for doing her a favour, but he can't remember what the favour was. But as he pursues the man who killed his wife, the question remains - will Leonard remember killing him, or has he killed him already? Memento is unique because we see the end of the movie at the very beginning. We have no idea how Leonard got to this point, but more importantly, Leonard Shelby has no idea how he got there either. Showing the end of the movie first is not a new technique in moviemaking, and neither are flashbacks. But in Memento, the story is told entirely backwards. The interesting thing about this is we, the audience, are in the same position as Leonard. As we go back and meet new characters, we never know who can be believed, who is trying to help Leonard, and who is only using him for their own ends. Even as the story concludes (sort of concludes) we are not exactly sure which memories are true. Leonard's life is choppy and chaotic, and the film's use of extreme closeups and clostrophobic time spent in motel rooms and bars adds to the feeling of uncertainty. Like memories themselves, we only get glimpses of past events. Our memories often colour past events the way we want to remember them, and even by the end we are not totally sure of even Leonard's recollection of things even before his wife's murder. The film deals with not just the selectivity and unreliability of memory, but in what constitutes a fact. Leonard has tatooed six so called facts to his body, and written down hints and beliefs on photos and scraps of paper. Leonard can't remember why he wrote down certain things or what event caused him to do so. So things like "everything he says are lies" or "she's trying to help you" guide his behaviour, but he doesn't know what past event caused him to make this conclusion. So not only is his memory untrustworthy, his reliance on "facts" and the whole notion of factual truth is equally suspect. The performances are excellent throughout. Guy Pearce is entirely believable as the lost Leonard who can remember nothing from his recent past, and tries. Moss shows more range than she's usually allowed to display as the drug dealer girlfriend who is not as she seems. Pantoliano is equally effective as the slippery cop who has his own agenda. For those who love a good mystery, or who appreciate a different kind of movie should check out Memento. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page