REWATCH: Memento

Date: 21/07/10. I get to see Inception tomorrow!!!!!!

Check out my original review here.
Even though Memento has been cruelly classified as 'unavailable' here in New Zealand, I have managed to find it. First on youtube, and now I bought the DVD over an internet auction site. Thank the lord. Memento is pretty much my favourite movie of all time. And I'm not just saying that because I worship Christopher Nolan. Memento is a truly beautiful film which puts truth into the saying 'films are art'. This movie is like that painting which you can't quite understand at first glance, but if you look into it a bit more, then you definitely will get it.
As you probably know, Memento is set in backwards chronological order, with some black and white scenes in chronological order intertwined within the story. It follows Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man with 'Anterograde Amnesia'--a disorder which causes him to have short term memory loss, who is trying to find the killer of his wife and seek revenge. The way he remembers facts is by tattooing them on his body and taking photos and writing notes. But can he really be sure that the information he has written down will guide him to the right place?
This is the beauty of the movie: you, like Leonard, don't know much about anything and you are relying on the facts he is getting. But you, as the viewer, have an advantage: you can see other facts which are crucial to Leonard's investigation but he misses because of his condition. The way it is made is genius. Had this been in normal order it wouldn't have been anywhere near as good. Also, because it is done in this way it is a lot easier to relate to Leonard and his condition.
For this to become my favourite movie of all time wasn't a hard decision. I just love everything about it. Like the fact that everything isn't handed straight to me on my first watch, and it will probably take a few more watches to wrap my head around it (I may give the 'Beginning of the end' feature a go so I can see this in actual order). It has truly wonderful performances especially from Guy Pearce and then Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano in support. But, really, I admire it for the way Nolan sucks you in to Leonard's world. When I watch this film, my head starts hurting because I wonder how much it would suck if I kept losing my memory.
Like other Nolan films, the protagonist is seeking revenge over the death of a loved one, is also a genuine anti-hero who faces adversity, and has something mentally wrong with him. This is possibly one of the best examples of how a Nolan character works.

I love this movie just the same as any other Christopher Nolan flick, but because it is a low-budgeted Independent film I admire it all the more. I can't say anymore than that.
10/10